Departmental Buildings

Stephen Crabb: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how much in  (a) rent,  (b) service charges and  (c) business rates has been paid in respect of each of the premises occupied by his Department in each year since 2005.

Ann McKechin: The Scotland Office spend on rent, service charges and business rates since 2005 is as follows:
	
		
			  £ 
			   2005-06  2006-07  2007-08  2008-09 
			 Rent 182,704 224,301 209,767 210,923 
			 Service charges(1) 185,398 207,753 171,090 194,773 
			 Rates 185,051 187,005 203,130 183,379 
			 (1) Gas, electricity, water and cleaning.

East of England Regional Grand Committee

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Leader of the House what factors  (a) she and  (b) Ministerial colleagues took into account, and what consultations she held, before proposing 8 September 2009 to the House for the first meeting of the East of England Regional Grand Committee; and if she will make a statement.

Barbara Keeley: The Government proposed that the majority of regional grand committees meet during the summer recess in order to minimise any clash with other business of the House.
	The decision to hold the meeting of the East of England Regional Grand Committee on 8 September was approved by the House.

Legislation: Parliamentary Scrutiny

Tony Baldry: To ask the Leader of the House what provisions she plans to make for time on the Floor of the House for debate on the Government's draft legislative programme for 2009-10.

Barbara Keeley: The Government hope to make time available on the Floor of the House for a debate on Building Britain's Future, including the Draft Legislative Programme, before the end of the current Session.
	My right hon. Friend has also invited the Liaison Committee to consider the Draft Legislative Programme.

Legislatures: EC Countries

John Mann: To ask the Leader of the House what information she holds on the sitting dates of the parliaments of other EU member states.

Barbara Keeley: The Office of the Leader of the House of Commons does not hold any information on the sitting dates of the Parliaments of other EU member states.

Members: Visits Abroad

John Mann: To ask the Leader of the House how much the House has spent on foreign travel for hon. Members in 2008-09.

Barbara Keeley: A total of £1.88 million was spent on foreign travel for hon. Members in 2008-09.

Bus Services: Concessions

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Bromley and Chislehurst of 16 June 2009,  Official Report, column 170W, on bus services: concessions, if he will seek the consent of the local authorities listed for their written representations to be placed in the Library.

Sadiq Khan: Department for Transport officials are contacting the relevant authorities seeking consent to place their written representations in the Library of the House.

East Coast Railway Line: Franchises

Stephen Hammond: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport with reference to chart 4 of his Department's publication, Franchise Evaluation Process Charts, May 2008, categorisation of financial risk, whether his Department ascertained from National Express Group plc whether they were prepared to provide an additional unfettered facility or an on-demand loan to National Express East Coast; and whether the schedule 12 ratio fell below 1.05 per cent. at any time during the franchise.

Chris Mole: The Intercity East Coast Franchise was let on 13 August 2007. A January 2007 version of the Franchise Evaluation Process Charts was used in the evaluation process.
	As part of their submission, National Express Group committed a loan facility of £40 million that was sufficient to maintain the bid in the medium financial risk category and the schedule 12 ratio above 1.05 at any point during the franchise.

Hazardous Waste

Andrew George: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what hazardous waste cargoes have been reported as having been lost overboard in UK waters since 1997 but have not been recovered; what packages containing hazardous goods were reported found in UK waters since 1 January 1997; what the  (a) date of finding,  (b) origin of the goods,  (c) nature of the incident giving rise to the deposit of the package and  (d) location of the find was in each case; and what reporting requirements apply in respect of such losses overboard (i) in UK waters and (ii) on UK-registered vessels carrying hazardous cargo.

Paul Clark: Details of hazardous cargoes lost overboard from ships in the UK pollution control zone are given in annual reports produced by the Advisory Committee on Protection of the Sea (ACOPS). ACOPS reports for 2001-07 are available on the Maritime and Coastguard Agency's website—under the Emergency Response menu—at:
	http://www.mcga.gov.uk
	To provide the specific details as requested would incur disproportionate costs.
	Reporting requirements for loss of cargo overboard are contained in the Statutory Instrument 1995 No. 2498—The Merchant Shipping (Reporting Requirements for Ships Carrying Dangerous or Polluting Goods) Regulations 1995. This can be found on the Maritime and Coastguard Agency's website at:
	http://www.mcga.gov.uk/c4mca/mcga-mnotice.htm?textobjid=466274775289B019

Local Government Finance

Justine Greening: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport 
	(1)  which  (a) specific and  (b) area-based grants are distributed to local authorities by each division of his Department;
	(2)  what estimate has been made of the annual cost to  (a) his Department of distributing each grant made by it to local authorities and  (b) local authorities of administering each such grant;
	(3)  what  (a) eligibility conditions and  (b) compliance measures are in place in respect of the expenditure by local authorities of each grant distributed by his Department; and what recent estimate has been made of the annual cost to his Department of monitoring the compliance by local authorities with such measures in respect of each such grant.

Sadiq Khan: The Government believe in giving local authorities greater flexibility to take decisions on local priorities. The introduction of the Area Based Grant has reduced ring-fencing, giving councils increased flexibility to manage their budgets. Alongside this, the new local performance framework has provided a simplified and more effective structure for priority setting and performance measurement.
	The following specific revenue grants are being paid by the Department for Transport direct to local authorities in 2009-10:
	Urban and rural bus challenge, and Kick start
	Concessionary Travel
	Cycling and walking funding
	Urban congestion performance fund
	Pump-priming for the Transport Innovation Fund
	Area Based Grant is paid by Communities and Local Government on behalf of the Government as a whole. Funding streams from the Department which are being paid through Area Based Grant in 2009-10 are:
	revenue funding for detrunked roads
	revenue funding for road safety
	rural bus subsidy.
	The Department does not routinely estimate the costs of distributing grant each year, although it does consider the cost effectiveness of proposals as part of the policy development process. It also assesses whether there will be any new burdens on local authorities, and ensures that these are fully funded when a policy is implemented.
	As Area Based Grant is not ring-fenced, it comes with no specific conditions or compliance requirements.
	Eligibility conditions and compliance measures vary with each specific revenue grant. I am placing in the House of Commons Library a copy of all Grant Determinations for 2009-10 made by the Department. These set out the purpose of the grant and grant conditions.
	The Department is also making available substantial capital support to local authorities in 2009-10. Information on grant arrangements for such support is on the Department's website.

Transport: York

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how much local transport grant his Department has allocated to City of York Unitary Council in each year since its creation; and what criteria are used to determine the amount of grant allocated to each local authority.

Sadiq Khan: The Department for Transport provides integrated transport block and highways maintenance funding to local transport authorities to support capital investment in transport, which may be used for a range of purposes as the authorities see fit. Funding allocated to the City of York is as follows:
	
		
			  £ million 
			   Integrated Transport  Highways Maintenance  Total pre-LTP Funding( 1) 
			 2008-09 3.737 1.379 — 
			 2007-08 4.141 1.419 — 
			 2006-07 4.478 1.386 — 
			 2005-06 4.9 1.325 — 
			 2004-05 4.84 1.462 — 
			 2003-04 4.7 1.281 — 
			 2002-03 4.4 1.155 — 
			 2001-02 4.9 1.095 — 
			 2000-01 1.55 0.712 — 
			 1999-2000 — — 1.983 
			 1998-99 — — 1.127 
			 1997-98 — — 2.212 
			 (1) Since 2000 the allocations comprise integrated transport block grant and highways maintenance. Prior to 2000 the allocations are in the form of gross approved spending. 
		
	
	Details on the allocation of funding to local authorities can be found on the Department's website at:
	http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/regional/ltp/

Agricultural Shows

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps the Government are taking to support  (a) the Royal agricultural show,  (b) the Lancashire show and  (c) other agricultural shows.

Jim Fitzpatrick: DEFRA does not financially support agricultural shows but instead ensures that there is a departmental presence at a number of agricultural shows over the summer months.
	At this year's Royal Show DEFRA has its own bespoke stand as well as a trailer, based in the livestock and agriculture area. The Secretary of State and other department Ministers visited the show throughout its duration. The Chief veterinary officer, deputy veterinary officer and director general for farming also attended.
	The Lancashire show is not taking place in 2009. However DEFRA did attend the 2008 Show.
	DEFRA Ministers or officials are attending an additional 13 other agricultural shows—a mix of regional and sector events—during June to September 2009. DEFRA has a bespoke trailer at the majority of these shows.

Agriculture: Regulation

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans there are to reduce the regulatory burden on farmers.

Jim Fitzpatrick: Our plans for reducing burdens on the farming industry and progress so far is set out in 'Better Regulation, Better Business' our Simplification Plan published in December 2008, which includes measures that contribute to reducing the administrative (red tape) burden on farmers by 25 per cent. by 2010.
	Burdens on farmers can be reduced in many ways. These include matching regulatory requirements to business practice, and reducing duplication of effort, for example by co-ordinating inspections so that a single visit covers multiple activities. DEFRA is working in partnership with its agencies, especially RPA, to develop online transactional services of which Whole Farm Approach is the leading example. Fast and easy access to advice and guidance is also available online, via the farming theme on BusinessLink.
	We are engaging farmers' representatives in identifying more things that might be done to reduce burdens, and responding to suggestions submitted via the 90-day portal (hosted on the BIS website at:
	http://www.betterregulation.gov.uk
	which allows anyone to submit their ideas for simplification.

Animal Health Agency: Consultants

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much the Animal Health Agency spent on consultants in each of the last five years.

Jim Fitzpatrick: Animal Health employ a range of consultants such as project managers, systems implementation specialists, systems testers, business/requirements analysts, planning and delivery consultants, benefits realisation managers, change management and trainers (IT specialists).
	The following table shows the amount that Animal Health spent on consultants in each of the last four years. Unfortunately, figures cannot be obtained for years prior to Animal Health being formed.
	
		
			   Total spend on consultants( 1)  (£ million) 
			 2005-06 1.852 
			 2006-07 3.333 
			 2007-08 3.708 
			 2008-09 3.555 
			 (1) Data was taken from Animal Health's published annual accounts.

Birds: Imports

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs from which countries outside the EU birds of species  (a) listed and  (b) not listed under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species have been imported into the UK in each of the last five years; and for what purposes they have been imported.

Huw Irranca-Davies: The Trade Control and Expert System (TRACES) database, which holds information on imports into the UK, does not distinguish between species listed under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) and species not so listed, and does not hold information on the purpose of imports.
	Table 1 shows the data obtained from the TRACES database for all bird species (for non-EU imports).
	Table 2 shows the data on CITES species held by the Wildlife Licensing and Registration Service in Animal Health (for non-EU imports).
	 Notes:
	1. Only the commodity code (birds of prey/parrots/other birds) is recorded on TRACES rather than the full species name.
	2. The TRACES system was not in operation prior to 2004.
	
		
			  Table 1: Imports of all birds as recorded on TRACES 
			   Exporting countries 
			 2004 UAE, Australia, Barbados, Bahrain, Benin, Brazil, Canada, Switzerland, Ivory Coast, China, Czechoslovakia, Egypt, Ghana, Guinea, Guyana, Hong Kong, Heard and McDonald Islands, Indonesia, Japan, Kazakhstan, Mali, Malaysia, Niger, Nigeria, Peru, Russian Federation, Solomon Islands, Singapore, Senegal, Suriname, El Salvador, Thailand, Turkey, Tanzania, Ukraine, Uganda, United States, Uzbekistan, Venezuela, Vietnam, South Africa 
			   
			 2005 UAE, Australia, Barbados, Bahrain, Benin, Brazil, Canada, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Switzerland, Ivory Coast, Cameroon, Cuba, Egypt, Ghana, Guinea, Guyana, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Kenya, Kuwait, Kazakhstan, Morocco, Mauritius, Namibia, Nigeria, Nicaragua, Peru, Philippines, Pakistan, Russian Federation, Sudan, Singapore, Senegal, Suriname, Chad, Togo, Taiwan, Tanzania, Ukraine, Uganda, United States, Uzbekistan, Vietnam, Zambia 
			   
			 2006 Argentina, Australia, Barbados, Benin, Brazil, Canada, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Switzerland, Cameroon, Cuba, Egypt, Georgia, Ghana, Guyana, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Jordan, Madagascar, Mauritius, Malaysia, Philippines, Pakistan, Russian Federation, Suriname, El Salvador, Turkey, Tanzania, Ukraine, Uganda, United States, Uzbekistan, Vietnam, South Africa, Zambia 
			   
			 2007 UAE, Australia, Barbados, Benin, Brazil, Canada, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Switzerland, Cuba, Egypt, Ghana, Guatemala, Guyana, Indonesia, Macedonia, Malaysia, Philippines, Pakistan, Russian Federation, Saudi Arabia, Solomon Islands, Seychelles, Sudan, Singapore, Suriname, Turkey, Tanzania, Uganda, United States, Uzbekistan, Vietnam, South Africa, Zambia 
			   
			 2008 UAE, Barbados, Bahrain, Benin, Brazil, Canada, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Cameroon, Egypt, Ghana, Gibraltar, Guyana, Indonesia, Israel, India, Japan, Madagascar, Macedonia, Mauritius, Malaysia, Nigeria, Philippines, Russian Federation, Sudan, Senegal, Suriname, Turkey, Taiwan, Tanzania, Ukraine, United states, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Vietnam, South Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: Imports of CITES listed birds for the last five years (information supplied by Wildlife Licensing and Registration Service in Animal Health)—recorded countries of export and purpose of import 
			   Exporting country  Recorded purposes of imports 
			 2004 Australia Personal 
			  Canada Personal; trade 
			  Czech Republic Trade 
			  Egypt Personal 
			  Guinea Trade 
			  Guyana Trade 
			  Ivory Coast Trade 
			  Japan Trade 
			  Jersey Breeding in captivity; travelling exhibition and circuses; trade; zoos 
			  Kazakhstan Breeding in captivity; trade 
			  Kenya Personal 
			  Kuwait Personal 
			  Namibia Trade 
			  Peru Trade 
			  Philippines Breeding in captivity 
			  Qatar Personal; trade 
			  Russian Federation Breeding in captivity 
			  Solomon Islands Trade 
			  South Africa Breeding in captivity; personal; trade 
			  Suriname Personal 
			  Switzerland Zoo 
			  Tanzania, United Republic of Zoo 
			  United Arab Emirates Breeding in captivity 
			  United States of America Breeding in captivity; personal 
			  Venezuela Trade 
			  Zambia Personal 
			  Zimbabwe Personal 
			
			 2005 Australia Personal 
			  Bahrain Breeding in captivity; trade 
			  Cameroon Trade 
			  Canada Personal 
			  Chad Trade 
			  Egypt Personal 
			  Guinea Trade 
			  Guyana Trade 
			  Isle of Man Personal 
			  Ivory Coast Trade 
			  Jersey Breeding in captivity; personal; trade; scientific; zoos 
			  Kazakhstan Trade 
			  Namibia Trade 
			  Philippines Breeding in captivity 
			  Qatar Personal 
			  Russian Federation Reintroduction or introduction into the wild 
			  Singapore Personal 
			  South Africa Personal 
			  Suriname Trade 
			  Switzerland Zoos 
			  Taiwan Trade 
			  Tanzania, United Republic of Zoos 
			  Trinidad and Tobago Personal 
			  United Arab Emirates Personal; zoos 
			  United States of America Personal; zoos 
			  Zimbabwe Trade 
			
			 2006 Australia Personal 
			  Canada Personal 
			  Gambia Personal 
			  Guernsey Trade 
			  Philippines Breeding in captivity 
			  Russian Federation Reintroduction or introduction into the wild 
			  South Africa Personal 
			  Switzerland Zoos 
			  United Arab Emirates Personal 
			  United States of America Breeding in captivity; personal 
			  Zimbabwe Personal 
			
			 2007 Alderney Personal 
			  Bahrain Personal 
			  Canada Breeding in captivity 
			  Ghana Personal 
			  Guatemala Personal 
			  Guernsey Personal 
			  Israel Personal 
			  Jersey Zoos 
			  Kuwait Personal 
			  Norway Reintroduction or introduction into the wild 
			  Philippines Breeding in captivity 
			  Russian Federation Reintroduction or introduction into the wild 
			  South Africa Personal 
			  Switzerland Zoos 
			  United Arab Emirates Breeding in captivity; personal 
			  United States of America Breeding in captivity; educational; personal; zoos 
			  Zimbabwe Personal 
			
			 2008 Bahrain Personal 
			  Canada Personal 
			  China Personal 
			  Cuba Zoos 
			  Democratic Republic of Congo Breeding in captivity 
			  Ghana Personal 
			  Israel Zoos 
			  Jersey Zoos 
			  Kenya Personal 
			  Norway Reintroduction or introduction into the wild 
			  Russian Federation Personal; reintroduction or introduction into the wild 
			  South Africa Personal 
			  Tanzania, United Republic of Personal 
			  United Arab Emirates Breeding in captivity 
			  United States of America Breeding in captivity; personal; zoos 
		
	
	CITES species listed on appendix III do not require CITES permits to be issued to enable their import to take place. They do however require import notifications to be made. The country of export is recorded on import notifications, but not the purpose of the import.
	The table shows details of exporting countries for which import notifications were issued (for imports into the UK).
	
		
			   Exporting countries 
			 2004 Mali; South Africa 
			 2005 Chad; Ghana; Guinea; Jersey; Senegal; United States of America 
			 2006 One notification made but 'exporting country' not entered 
			 2007 Japan 
			 2008 Jersey

Compost

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will place in the Library a copy of the report on research by the Environment Agency and Cranfield University on bio-aerosol emissions from composting sites; what assessment he has made of the implications for his Department's waste and recycling policies of the findings of that research; and if he will make a statement.

Dan Norris: I have placed a copy of the report in question in the Library.
	The research leading to the report was commissioned by the Environment Agency in order to review and assess aspects of the risk assessment of open-air composting facilities, in particular in relation to bioaerosols. Although the work has helped to improve the Agency's monitoring and evaluation of the risks posed by bioaerosols it did not support a change to the current 250m risk assessment limit for the proximity of residential or commercial properties. As further research emerges it will be carefully reviewed by DEFRA and the Environment Agency.

EC Grants and Loans

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what information his Department holds on the subsidies granted by the European Commission to EU member states in each of the last five years; and what recent discussions he has had with his EU counterparts on the criteria applied to applications for such subsidies.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The European Commission list direct aids to farmers as presented in Table 1. Producers must comply with a number of criteria in order to qualify, with the most significant being that production is required for receipt of coupled direct aids, but not decoupled aids.
	
		
			  Table 1: EU direct aids for Budget years 2004 - 08 
			  €million 
			   2008  2007  2006  2005  2004 
			  Decoupled direct aids  
			 Single Payment Scheme 28,234 28,119 14,226 0 0 
			 Single Area Payment Scheme 2,974 2,083 1,721 1,449 0 
			 Separate sugar payment 206 167 0 0 0 
			 Separate fruit and vegetables payment 0 0 0 0 0 
			   
			  Other direct aids  
			 Arable Crops 1,781 1,853 7,951 17,158 17,095 
			 Beef 1,641 1,697 2,637 7,730 7,312 
			 Sheep and Goats 314 330 907 1,837 1,471 
			 Dairy 0 0 1,454 1,370 0 
			 POSEI 410 81 81 185 110 
			 Fruit and Vegetables(1) 104 202 255 483 595 
			 Sugar 25 17 0 0 0 
			 Rice 168 173 261 427 110 
			 Olive groves 99 119 2,312 2,240 2,302 
			 Tobacco 301 336 811 918 924 
			 Silkworms 1 1 0 0 0 
			 Cotton 248 254 0 0 0 
			 Payments for specific types of farming and quality production 435 420 199 0 0 
			 Other (direct aids) — 761 958 75 0 
			 Additional amounts of aid 563 434 316 0 0 
			 Ancillary direct aids, small producers, agrimonetary aids, etc.) 0 0 0 4 1 
			 Recoveries 0 0 -39 -21 -12 
			 Total 37,505 37,046 34,051 33,856 29,908 
			 (1 )Includes starch potatoes and grain legumes.  Source:  Provisional Draft Budget 2010 and previous budgets, EC. 
		
	
	The UK has argued forcefully for further decoupling of aid payments from production in order to reduce market distortions, and the 2008 Health Check made a step in this direction, decoupling approximately a further €3 billion of direct payments. This increases the level of decoupled support from around 89 per cent. of all direct farm payments to around 96 per cent. The payments currently scheduled for decoupling and the relevant dates are presented in Table 2.
	
		
			  Table 2: Direct aids scheduled to be decoupled 
			  Sector  Current situation  When/how to be phased out 
			 Fruit and vegetables The EU Processed Fruit and Vegetables Regime was subject to major reform in 2007, with agreement reached on a phased approach to full decoupling: Tomatoes for processing—1 January 2012 
			   Tomatoes for processing—member states may allow a maximum four year transitional period provided that the coupled element of the payment does not exceed 50 per cent. of the corresponding component of the national ceiling  
			   Other processing aids—member states may allow a maximum five year transitional period until at the latest 31 December 2012, provided that after 31 December 2010, the coupled proportion of the payment does not exceed 75 per cent. of the corresponding component of the national ceiling in 2011 and 2012 respectively. Other processing aids—1 January 2013 
			 Sugar There are no direct aids in the sugar sector, but there is a transitional fund to help the sugar sector restructure. The transitional aid is due to end in 2010 
			  There are also separate sugar payments as part of the Single Payment Scheme.  
			
			 Tobacco Progressive reduction in coupled support from 2006 to 2010. 2010 
			
			 Crops Member states may retain partial coupled payments in: Full decoupling from 2010 and integration into Single Payment Scheme (SPS) 
			  Arable Crops Payments (up to 25 per cent.)  
			  Durum Wheat Quality Supplement (up to 40 per cent.)  
			  Hops (up to 25 per cent.)  
			
			 Olive oil Aid for olive groves could remain up to 40 per cent. coupled. Full decoupling in 2010 and integration in SPS 
			
			 Livestock Member states may retain coupled payments in: Slaughter premium for young animals, slaughter premium for adult animals and Special beef premium: Full decoupling from 2012 onwards and integration into SPS. No change in suckler cow and sheep and goatmeat. 
			  Suckler Cow Premium (up to 100 per cent.)  
			  Special beef premium (up to 75 per cent.),  
			  Slaughter Premium (up to 40 per cent. for adults and 100 per cent. for calves)  
			  Sheep and Goats (up to 50 per cent.).  
			
			 Flax and Hemp Option of 25 per cent. partial coupling as arable crops area payment. Short fibre flax to be phased out in 2008-09. Long fibre flax to be increased to €40/tonne in 2009-10. Decouple long fibre flax processing aid and integrate into SPS from 2012. 
			
			 Dried Fodder Retain processing aid (per tonne, uniform for dehydrated and dried fodder) Decouple processing aid and integrate into SPS in 2012 
			
			 Starch potato Aid for starch producers (60 per cent. of pre-2003 level) paid per tonne of starch delivered. A transformation aid is granted to the manufacturers per tonne of potato starch with guaranteed minimum prices within the quota limit. Finally, production refunds for starch are granted when using starch for the production of certain goods. Decouple aid to growers and integrate into SPS from 2012 at the latest; decouple processing aid and integrate into SPS in 2012 
			
			 Energy crop premium Aid of EUR 45 per hectare for energy crops for the production of biofuels and electric and thermal energy produced from biomass Abolish in 2010 
			
			 Durum Wheat Aid of EUR 40 per hectare, granted subject to the use of certain quantities of certified seeds of varieties recognised as being of high quality for the production of semolina or pasta. Full decoupling and integration into SPS in 2010. 
			
			 Protein crops Aid of EUR 55.57 per hectare of protein crops (peas, field beans, lupins). Decouple and integrate into SPS in 2012 at the latest. 
			
			 Specific payment for rice Aid per hectare, the value set according to the yields in the member states concerned Decouple and integrate into SPS in 2012 at the latest. 
			
			 Nuts Aid per hectare granted to farmers producing nuts, with a possibility of granting additional national aid. Decouple and integrate into SPS in 2012 at the latest. 
		
	
	It is a condition of all direct payments that claimants both keep their land in 'good agricultural and environmental condition' (GAEC), as defined by member states in accordance with a set EU framework, and comply with 18 statutory management requirements (existing EU regulatory environmental, public, animal and plant health and animal welfare requirements).
	The UK "Vision for the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP)" is clear that by 2015 to 2020, CAP Pillar 1 should be phased out completely. Instead, payments to farmers should be targeted at delivering public benefits, including environmental benefits, through a re-shaped Pillar 2.

Environment Agency: Pay

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much was paid in bonuses to  (a) directors,  (b) senior managers,  (c) specialist and delivery managers and  (d) executive support and administration staff in the Environment Agency in each of the last five years.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The following table shows performance-related pay paid by the Environment Agency over the last five years.
	These payments are awarded to reflect success for performance across a range of objectives which are set and agreed with Government. The Environment Agency's annual report details its overall performance against its objectives and gives details of directors' remuneration, including performance-related pay.
	These payments are only made to directors and senior managers. The Environment Agency currently has 155 senior managers and directors.
	
		
			  Total value of performance-related pay over last five years 
			  £ 
			   2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08 
			 Director (9) 92,178 95,883 101,970 113,715 127,396 
			 Senior Manager (av. 133) 655,546 739,625 843,141 870,264 1,222,480 
			 Manager n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 Specialist n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 Executive Support and Administration Staff n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 Total 747,724 835,508 945,112 983,979 1,349,876 
		
	
	The average percentage paid as performance-related pay per eligible employee over the last five years has been 10 per cent. For 2008-09, the Environment Agency has decided to cap performance-related pay in line with civil service practice.

Food: Labelling

Sally Keeble: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether his Department provides  (a) financial and  (b) other support to the RSPCA in respect of its Freedom Food Initiative.

Jim Fitzpatrick: DEFRA has not provided ongoing financial support to RSPCA for its Freedom Foods initiative but did award a grant of £139,000 in February 2002 under the Agriculture Development Scheme to support the development of the scheme.

Food: Prices

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the average farm gate price of lamb was in the most recent period for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Fitzpatrick: In June 2009 the average farm gate price of UK lambs was 383 pence per kilogram deadweight. This was 25 pence per kilogram higher than the average for June 2008. Monthly average prices from January 2008 onwards are shown in the following table. The seasonal nature of lamb prices can been seen in the 2008 figures.
	
		
			  Average UK farm gate lamb price (pence per kilogram deadweight) 
			   2008  2009 
			 January 226 335 
			 February 265 368 
			 March 288 372 
			 April 329 415 
			 May 337 415 
			 June 358 383 
			 July 296 — 
			 August 280 — 
			 September 290 — 
			 October 276 — 
			 November 268 — 
			 December 280 — 
			  Source:  AHDB Meat Services (EU Market Report, sheep meat reference prices).

Landfill

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Meriden of 12 February 2009,  Official Report, column 2152W, on the Landfill Allowance Trading Scheme, if he will introduce a mechanism to determine the amount of waste diverted by home composting in order to allow such composting to count towards the landfill allowance trading scheme.

Dan Norris: DEFRA is working with the Environment Agency and the DEFRA funded Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) to consider whether a robust mechanism for calculating the amount of waste diverted by home composting can be developed. This work is ongoing.
	In response to the operational review of the Landfill Allowance Trading Scheme, DEFRA agreed to review again the position of home composting in relation to the scheme after the first target year in 2010.

Marine and Coastal Access Bill

Andrew Tyrie: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether he has made an estimate of the likely amount of compensation payable if the provisions of Part 9 of the Marine and Coastal Access Bill relating to the English coastal route were given effect under existing legislation.

Huw Irranca-Davies: There are no provisions in the Marine and Coastal Access Bill to pay compensation. The Bill requires Natural England and the Secretary of State to aim to strike a fair balance between the interests of landowners and the interests of the general public. The careful and considered identification of the route in consultation with landowners and others will allow Natural England to avoid creating situations where compensation would be required and will mean that any impacts on business and property will be minimised.
	The Bill was amended during its passage through the House of Lords to introduce a procedure for an appointed person to review objections to a proposal in a report by Natural England. This will provide additional safeguards for landowners and occupiers.
	Natural England will also consult with land owners when deciding any conditions or restrictions on access, for example for land management purposes. Natural England will also be able to revisit decisions about alignment and the need for restrictions in the light of experience of actual impacts or changes to the situation.

Rats: Greater London

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs with reference to the answer to the hon. Member for Romford of 4 November 2008,  Official Report, column 399W, on rats: Greater London, whether the further report on rodent presence in domestic premises has been completed.

Dan Norris: The latest report on rodent presence in domestic properties as revealed by the English House Condition Survey data for 2002-03 and 2003-04 is available on DEFRA's website. The next report covering the period up to 2006 should be available this year, although at present there is no set date for publication.

School Fruit and Vegetable Scheme

Mark Todd: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether he plans to bring forward proposals for a free fruit scheme under the provisions of EC Commission Regulation No. 288/2009.

Gillian Merron: I have been asked to reply.
	There are a number of pilots and evaluation projects currently under way that are looking at the school fruit and vegetable scheme and wider on free school meals in England. A decision will be made whether to bring forward proposals once the results have been received and considered.

Sustainable Development

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps his Department has taken in relation to its sustainable consumption and production priority area for action; and if he will make a statement.

Dan Norris: DEFRA's work in this priority area aims to make production and consumption patterns associated with the UK economy compatible with sustainable living. Action is being taken to minimise greenhouse gas emissions and inputs of non-renewable resources, energy and water.
	DEFRA and its partners are working with businesses, consumers and the public sector to help them understand and reduce their impacts. Overall, this work aims to create better products and services, with lower environmental impacts across their lifecycle, which minimise waste and the use of landfill. DEFRA is working to achieve this in three key ways:
	Encouraging best practice through the provision of tools, guidance, and information to help businesses and consumers choose the most sustainable behaviours. For example, we are working with industry to pilot ten roadmaps to improve the sustainability of products that have significant environmental and/or social impacts.
	Leading by example by setting policies and ensuring that the Government act in a sustainable way.
	Setting standards to ensure that minimum requirements are implemented in the design, production, use and disposal of particular products. This includes raising the sustainability of energy-using products, including through EU minimum standards. The minimum standards agreed so far are expected to save £900 million per year from people's energy bills and help save around 7Mt CO2 per annum by 2020.
	An important aspect of more sustainable consumption and production is the impact of products at their end of life as waste. Following the Waste Strategy for England 2007, DEFRA is working to:
	secure better integration of treatment for municipal and non-municipal waste;
	secure the investment in infrastructure needed to divert waste from landfill and for the management of hazardous waste; and
	meet and exceed the Landfill Directive diversion targets for biodegradable municipal waste in 2010, 2013 and 2020.
	Further information about DEFRA's work in this priority area can be found in the Departmental Report which is available on DEFRA's website.

Water Charges

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent discussions he has had with  (a) water companies,  (b) consumer groups and  (c) others on simplifying the format of domestic water bills.

Huw Irranca-Davies: My Department has held no recent discussions with water companies, consumer groups or others on simplifying the format of domestic water rates bills. However, the Independent Walker Review of charging for household water and sewerage services is looking at this, among other issues, and published an interim report on 29 June.

Departmental Buildings

Stephen Crabb: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how much in  (a) rent,  (b) service charges and  (c) business rates has been paid in respect of each of the premises occupied by his Department in each year since 2005.

Peter Hain: My Department occupies two buildings, one in London and the other in Cardiff. My Department has paid the following for each building in:
	 (a  & b) Rent and Service Charges
	The London office is owned by the Wales Office and no rent or service charges are payable. The service charges are not recorded separately from the rent and could be obtained only at a disproportionate cost.
	
		
			   Cardiff Office (£) 
			 2005-06 146,272.92 
			 2006-07 163,078.46 
			 2007-08 178,601.80 
			 2008-09 184,438.24 
		
	
	 (c) Business Rates
	
		
			   London Office  (£)  Cardiff Office  (£) 
			 2005-06 48,108.00 39,784.50 
			 2006-07 48,108.00 40,608.00 
			 2007-08 50,616.00 42,112.00 
			 2008-09 52,668.00 43,431.20

Departmental Internet

Stephen Crabb: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what the maintenance and development costs of his Department's website were in each year since 2005.

Peter Hain: My Department has spent the following on maintaining and developing our website:
	
		
			   £ 
			 2005-06 5,875.00 
			 2006-07 6,227.50 
			 2007-08 27,581.96 
			 2008-09 6,054.55 
		
	
	The 2007-08 figure includes the cost of designing and establishing the new Wales Office website in 2007-08 and the provision of a new server.

Departmental Press: Subscriptions

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change to which  (a) magazines,  (b) journals and  (c) newspapers his Department subscribes; and what the cost of such subscriptions has been in each of the last three years.

Joan Ruddock: Since the Department's formation in October 2008, Ministers and the Communications director have received the following publications:
	 Ministers
	Monday to Friday: 4 x  Financial Times, 3 x  The Times, 3 x  Telegraph, 4 x  Independent, 4 x  Guardian 2 x  Mail, 2 x  Express, 3 x  The Sun, 3 x  The Mirror, 2 x  The Star, 4 x  Evening Standard and weekly Observer,  Spectator, 2 x  Economist,  New Scientist. The total cost to the Department as of 31 May 2009 was £4,270.05.
	 Communications
	Monday to Saturday:  Financial Times,  Times,  Telegraph,  Independent,  Guardian,  Mail,  Express,  Sun,  Mirror,  Star and weekly  Sunday Times,  Sunday Telegraph,  Independent on Sunday,  Observer,  Mail on Sunday,  Sunday Express,  News of the World,  People,  Sunday Mirror,  Daily Star Sunday,  The Economist,  Spectator,  PR Week,  Private Eye,  New Statesman. The total cost to the Department as of 31 May 2009 was £2,025.73.
	The Department does not keep central records of all the remaining publications that it receives and this information could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Warm Front Scheme: Pensioners

Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many applicants for a Warm Front grant aged  (a) under 60 years old and  (b) 60 years old and over who were informed that they would need to pay a contribution (i) took up the grant and (ii) did not proceed with their applications in 2008-09.

David Kidney: The following table shows the requested information:
	
		
			Households asked to contribute   
			  Scheme year 2008-09  Assisted households  Number  Percentage  Paid  Did not proceed 
			 Under 60s 102,317 19,693 19.2 17,379 2,314 
			 Over 60s 133,277 29,571 22.2 26,031 3,540 
			 Total 235,594 49,264 20.9 43,410 5,854 
		
	
	The grant maxima for the period reported on were £2,700 or £4,000 where an oil measure was required. On 23 April 2009 we announced our intention to raise the grant maxima to £3,500 or £6,000 for oil and other low carbon and renewable heating measures.

Members: Surveillance

Paul Goodman: To ask the Prime Minister whether the application of the Wilson Doctrine on interception of hon. Members' telephone calls has been amended since September 2007; and if he will make a statement.

Gordon Brown: No. I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Minister for Policing, Crime and Counter-Terrorism (Mr. Hanson) to my hon. Friend the Member for Islington, South and Finsbury (Emily Thornberry) on 9 July 2009,  Official Report, columns 1133-4.

Antisocial Behaviour

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what funding has been provided from the public purse to parish councils to tackle anti-social behaviour in the last 12 months.

Alan Campbell: The Home Office does not provide direct funding to parish councils to tackle antisocial behaviour. Funding to tackle antisocial behaviour now forms part of the general Area Based Grant (ABG) paid by the Department of Communities and Local Government to Unitary and upper tier authorities. It is for local partnerships to agree how the grants received should be allocated against locally determined priorities, including tackling antisocial behaviour.

Antisocial Behaviour Orders: Young People

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 18 June 2009,  Official Report, column 454W, on anti-social behaviour orders: young people, who is responsible for monitoring the effects of media reporting on anti-social behaviour orders imposed on children between the ages of 10 and 17 years on levels of compliance with such orders.

Alan Campbell: The Home Office has issued guidance on publicising antisocial behaviour orders (ASBOs) which emphasises that a case by case approach should be adopted and that a test should be applied which balances the purpose of publicity against the impact it will have on the individual involved, especially in cases involving young people. It is up to the applicant agency to determine the outcome of this test and determine what publicity is appropriate and proportionate. In addition courts retain the right to impose reporting restrictions where they believe it necessary to do so.
	ASBO publicity does not always have to be negative. In cases where ASBOs have worked and perpetrators have turned their lives around, the media may wish to follow up ASBO successes with good news stories.

Human Trafficking

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what funding the Government has allocated for measures to tackle human trafficking in  (a) the UK and  (b) the North East in each year since 1997.

Alan Campbell: Funding for the fight against human trafficking is not provided on a regional basis as the crime is one that affects all parts of the country and our response therefore has to be national and strategic in nature.
	We have provided the UK Human Trafficking Centre with £5.7 million over period 2006 to the end of the current financial year.
	Additionally, we fund the Serious Organised Crime Agency to the tune of £400 million per annum. SOCA has organised immigration crime, including human trafficking as its second highest priority.
	From 2004 to the start of the current financial year we had given £5.8 million to Eaves Housing for Women to manage the support provisions for adult female victims of trafficking for the purpose of sexual exploitation. This has been further supported by a further £3.7 million over the next two financial years to Eaves Housing to continue these services on a wider geographical basis.

Human Trafficking

Anthony Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what funds his Department has allocated to the Metropolitan Police's human trafficking team for  (a) 2009-10 and  (b) 2010-11; what recent discussions he has had with the Metropolitan Police on (i) funding for and (ii) staff levels in the human trafficking team; and if he will make a statement.

Alan Campbell: holding answer 17 June 2009
	Following negotiations with the Metropolitan Police, the Home Office agreed on an exceptional basis to provide an additional £435,000 for the current financial year.
	Human trafficking is core police business. However, this money was granted in consideration of the fact that the Met, unlike the other forces, could not mainstream this work by the end of the last financial year and on the clear understanding that all anti-human trafficking work within the Met would be met from within their existing budget from 1 April 2010 onwards. The staffing levels are a matter for the Commissioner. The Metropolitan Police has developed a good relationship with the UK Human Trafficking Centre, which is the acknowledged centre of expertise on human trafficking issues and was established to co-ordinate the law enforcement response to this crime.

Identity Cards: Greater Manchester

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Harwich of 20 May 2009,  Official Report, column 1463W, on identity cards: Greater Manchester, what national implementation strategy his Department will follow for the National Identity Service should take-up in the Manchester pilot be low.

Alan Johnson: We intend that lessons learned from the launch of identity cards to volunteers in Manchester will inform our subsequent delivery strategy.
	The identity card roll out included Foreign National Identity Cards, Critical Workers Identity Cards, Voluntary Identity Cards (commensurate with EU Member State Identity Cards) and the establishment of an identity register to supplement and eventually replace existing identity registers. The lessons learned from Manchester will feed into this roll out.

Cultural Heritage: Wiltshire

Robert Key: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the annual  (a) running costs and  (b) income from entrance charges, shop sales and other revenue at (i) Stonehenge, (ii) Old Sarum and (iii) Old Wardour Castle were in each of the last three years.

Barbara Follett: Stonehenge, Old Sarum Castle and Wardour Castle are properties managed by English Heritage. The information set out in the following table has been provided by English Heritage. The table shows the running costs incurred and income received by English Heritage for the management of Stonehenge, Old Sarum Castle and Wardour Castle in each of the last three years.
	
		
			  £ 
			   2006-07  2007-08  2008-09 
			  Stonehenge
			 Running costs 2,177,206 2,043,083 2,162,420 
			 Total income 5,392,727 5,680,332 5,901,546 
			 Admissions income 3,174,409 3,373,807 3,550,203 
			 Retail and catering income 1,889,494 1,942,072 2,002,089 
			 Other earned income 328,824 364,453 349,254 
			 
			  Old Sarum Castle
			 Running costs 161,868 161,769 137,943 
			 Total income 243,828 223,807 198,282 
			 Admissions income 105,304 97,081 85,667 
			 Retail and catering income 94,209 90,278 80,324 
			 Other earned income 44,315 36,448 32,291 
			 
			  Wardour Castle
			 Running costs 73,864 74,192 67,975 
			 Total income 113,198 115,338 97,478 
			 Admissions income 36,731 38,585 36,458 
			 Retail and catering income 37,936 33,770 28,486 
			 Other earned income 38,531 42,983 32,534

Departmental Databases

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport which databases managed by his Department and its agencies hold personal information on members of the public; on what date each such database become operational; and if he will make a statement.

Gerry Sutcliffe: My Department outsources management of all Databases. The databases it uses which contain personal information are:
	
		
			  Database  Operational 
			 Finance February 2006 
			 Consultation—Audiovisual Media Services October 2008 
			 Consultation—BBC Charter Review January 2004 
			 Consultation—BBC White Paper May 2006 
			 Consultation—BBC Green Paper June 2005 
			 Consultation—Free to Air April 2009 
			 Consultation—Gambling Bill March 2004 
			 Consultation—Heritage Protection April 2007 
			 Consultation—McMaster Review November 2007 
			 Consultation—Museum of London Act (1965) October 2003 
			 Consultation—Ticket Touting February 2009 
			 Consultation—Television Without Frontiers November 2006 
			 Dome documents November 2001 
			 Freedom of Information Act Case Management October 2004 
			 Honours 2001 
			 Information Centre Enquiry March 2001 
			 Lottery Grants December 1996 
			 Memorial—July 7th July 2005 
			 Memorial—Tsunami March 2005 
			 Records Centre July 2003 
			 Sponsored Bodies July 1997 
		
	
	Databases managed by the Royal Parks Agency are:
	
		
			  Database  Operational 
			 Estates Licencing 2000 
			 Fund Raising 2001 
			 Sports Booking 2005 
			 Considerate Cycling Scheme 2007 
			 What's On (visitor information) 2005

Religious Buildings: Conservation

Robert Key: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much funding his Department allocated for the conservation of  (a) cathedrals,  (b) parish churches and  (c) other places of worship in England in (i) 1997, (ii) 2001 and (iii) 2009.

Barbara Follett: In the years requested, the funding made available by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport was as set out in the following tables.
	
		
			  DCMS funding for churches conservation trust 
			   £ 
			 1997-98 2,480,000 
			 2001-02 3,000,000 
			 2008-09 3,161,000 
		
	
	
		
			  DCMS funding for listed places of worship scheme( 1) 
			   £ 
			 1997-98 (2)— 
			 2001-02 931,452 
			 2008-09 13,411,061 
			 (1) It is not possible to segregate the grants disbursed between cathedrals, parish churches and other places of worship. (2) Scheme not in place. 
		
	
	In addition, English Heritage made funding available for the conservation of cathedrals and other places of worship in England as set out in the following table. English Heritage does not distinguish between parish churches and places of worship in terms of funding.
	
		
			  £ 
			   English Heritage funding offered to cathedrals  English Heritage funding offered to places of worship 
			 1997-98 3,020,500 9,195,000 
			 2001-02 2,519,000 2,524,200 
			 2008-09 1,292,000 9,569,800

Sports

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many people of each  (a) sex and  (b) ethnic group participated in each sporting activity for which his Department records figures in each of the last three years for which figures are available.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Sport England has provided figures for sports currently in receipt of funding, where sample sizes are sufficient. These are drawn from Active People Survey 1 (APS1), for the period 2005-06; and from Active People 2 (APS2), for the period 2007-08. Results are as follows:
	
		
			   APS1 
			  Sport  Male  Female  White  non-white 
			 Athletics 836,900 516,500 1,245,000 108,800 
			 Badminton 290,300 226,300 455,500 61,200 
			 Basketball 125,100 33,100 108,900 49,400 
			 Bowls 203,100 136,300 335,000 4,500 
			 Boxing 87,500 28,000 99,400 16,200 
			 Canoeing and Kayaking 26,200 10,300 35,100 (1)— 
			 Cricket 179,600 15,400 151,300 43,800 
			 Cycling 1,159,900 474,200 1,539,300 95,600 
			 Dance exercise 17,400 125,700 129,300 13,600 
			 Fencing 10,400 (1)— 12,500 (1)— 
			 Fishing 139,900 6,500 145,200 (1)— 
			 Football 1,870,000 149,700 1,755,000 266,700 
			 Golf 763,900 124,400 867,400 21,700 
			 Gymnastics and Trampolining 13,300 45,600 54,400 4,500 
			 Hockey-field 49,300 44,600 88,500 5,300 
			 Horse riding 41,700 273,200 309,800 4,800 
			 Judo 13,200 4,000 15,000 (1)— 
			 Mountaineering 49,400 17,800 63,200 4,000 
			 Netball (1)— 110,100 102,900 8,800 
			 Rounders (1)— 14,000 15,300 (1)— 
			 Rowing 27,600 11,700 36,900 (1)— 
			 Rugby League 67,100 6,500 68,300 5,500 
			 Rugby Union 176,400 8,900 176,400 9,200 
			 Sailing 46,600 17,400 61,900 (1)— 
			 Shooting 53,300 4,800 56,600 (1)— 
			 Skiing and Snowboarding 76,700 50,600 123,200 4,200 
			 Squash and Racquetball 248,900 50,700 283,200 16,500 
			 Swimming 1,127,300 2,147,500 3,098,800 175,100 
			 Table Tennis 50,000 19,200 61,900 7,400 
			 Taekwondo 11,200 7,900 16,700 (1)— 
			 Tennis 244,600 212,400 418,800 38,200 
			 Volleyball 18,500 14,200 27,000 5,800 
			 Weightlifting 95,300 12,400 90,800 17,000 
		
	
	
		
			   APS 2 
			  Sport  Male  Female  White  non-white 
			 Athletics 999,100 612,500 1,441,200 144,300 
			 Badminton 307,500 228,100 453,800 86,100 
			 Basketball 143,300 42,700 119,100 57,200 
			 Bowls 205,000 152,300 361,000 (1)— 
			 Boxing 87,700 19,100 85,000 19,900 
			 Canoeing and Kayaking 36,100 7,400 40,800 (1)— 
			 Cricket 187,600 17,100 155,000 58,200 
			 Cycling 1,260,300 506,200 1,653,400 112,100 
			 Dance exercise 11,000 138,400 130,800 20,600 
			 Fencing 10,200 (1)— 13,900 (1)— 
			 Fishing 124,800 7,500 135,100 (1)— 
			 Football 1,996,400 146,600 1,880,700 295,400 
			 Golf 805,300 142,400 935,100 23,300 
			 Gymnastics and Trampolining 20,600 68,600 82,100 (1)— 
			 Hockey-field 43,900 55,900 96,000 (1)— 
			 Horse riding 43,300 298,600 344,800 (1)— 
			 Judo 13,100 (1)— 17,100 (1)— 
			 Mountaineering 63,600 22,500 76,300 (1)— 
			 Netball (1)— 116,800 108,400 14,000 
			 Rounders (1)— 23,000 22,700 (1)— 
			 Rowing 39,000 15,900 52,900 (1)— 
			 Rugby League 82,800 (1)— 84,600 (1)— 
			 Rugby Union 212,900 17,200 217,800 13,000 
			 Sailing 64,900 25,000 88,200 (1)— 
			 Shooting 62,000 (1)— 64,400 (1)— 
			 Skiing and Snowboarding 70,800 49,700 109,900 (1)— 
			 Squash and Racquetball 243,400 50,300 270,600 23,300 
			 Swimming 1,108,600 2,136,500 3,052,200 197,000 
			 Table Tennis 53,500 22,100 65,300 9,800 
			 Taekwondo 16,800 7,400 21,500 (1)— 
			 Tennis 259,900 227,500 438,100 47,400 
			 Volleyball 31,100 17,300 33,900 11,300 
			 Weightlifting 108,900 9,400 93,300 18,600 
			 (1) Denotes insufficient sample size. 
		
	
	Active People has now been commissioned on a rolling basis and further data will be available in due course. Further analysis of ethnicity and other demographics can be found on Sport England's Active People Diagnostic website at:
	http://www.sportengland.org/index/get_resources/research/active_people/active_people_diagnostic_intro.htm
	Sport England has not provided data on each individual sport by each detailed ethnic group (below the 'white' and 'non-white' groups), as for some of the smaller participant sports, there is insufficient sample to analyse the individual sport on a detailed demographic sub-group basis.

Tourism

Lembit �pik: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what estimate his Department has made of the number of tourist information centres which have closed in the last two years; and what recent steps his Department has taken to support the tourism sector.

Barbara Follett: DCMS is aware of the following closures in 2008-09:
	
		
			  Regions  2008  2009 
			 East Midlands  Lincoln 
			 London Hounslow Croydon 
			  Hillingdon  
			  Southwark  
			 North East Addiston Newcastle Airport 
			 North West Saddleworth  
			 South East Havant  
			  Herne Bay  
			  Whitstable  
			 South West Wadebridge Stow on the Wold 
		
	
	Responsibility for tourist information centres falls to local authorities, for whom tourism support is a discretionary activity.
	VisitEngland has worked with national, regional and local level tourism stakeholders to develop a national partnership model to increase the promotion of tourist information centres, to ensure that these are quality assured, and to improve their customer focus. A national implementation group will oversee the introduction of this new partnership.
	The Government remain committed to supporting the tourism industry. At the national tourism summit in January, the Prime Minister called for a strengthened partnership between industry and Government through the recession and toward recovery. A tourism advisory group, composed of key industry representatives, is providing intelligence and guidance in this regard and an inter-ministerial group has been established to address fiscal and regulatory concerns as well as incentives and opportunities. VisitBritain and VisitEngland are also running a major, 6.5 million overseas and domestic marketing campaign, themed around destinations as Value for Money.

Departmental Contracts

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will make an assessment of the standard of service provided to his Department and its agencies by contractors appointed by reverse auction.

Claire Ward: Since the beginning to 2008 the Ministry of Justice (MOJ) have undertaken three reverse auctions as detailed in the following table.
	
		
			  Supplier  Auction title  Completed 
			 Hamilton and Pollock Polythene bags and sacksLot 1 February 2008 
			 Hamilton and Pollock Polythene bags and sacksLot 2 February 2008 
			 3663 Supply of frozen food stuffs June 2009 
		
	
	All of the products provided by the two suppliers listed above are associated with food/catering services that are supplied for National Offender Management Service (NOMS). The polythene bags and sacks are supplied as light catering equipment for holding food stuff only.
	The performance of both suppliers has been satisfactory with no disputes or reason to issue performance warnings during the post contact phase albeit the supply of frozen food is currently in implementation phase having only been awarded in the past four weeks.

Departmental Finance

Dominic Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the capital budget for his Department and each of its agencies is in the next four years.

Jack Straw: The Ministry of Justice (MOJ) has a capital DEL budget of 768 million this year, as published in the 2009-10 Main Supply Estimates. This reflects MOJ'S CSR settlement with HM Treasury. Capital DEL budgets for individual MOJ agencies are contained in the following table:
	
		
			  To nearest  million 
			  Executive agency  Published net capital DEL budget for 2009-10 
			 National Offender Management Service (NOMS) 375 
			 Her Majesty's Courts Service 164 
			 Office of Public Guardian 2 
			 Tribunals Service 4 
			 MOJ other (includes NDPBs) 59 
			 Departmental Unallocated capital Provision (DUP) (1)164 
			 Total 768 
			 (1) MOJ currently has an official DUP for capital DEL which it intends to draw down formally in the supplementary round and forms part of NOMS expenditure plan. 
		
	
	As published in the 2007 Pre-Budget Report and Comprehensive Spending Review, the provisional capital DEL budget for 2010-11 is 733 million. This funding is yet to be allocated out across the Department and its agencies.
	No capital budgets have been set beyond 2010-11 as this is dependent on the outcome of the next Spending Review.

Fraud: Essex

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many convictions for offences related to fraud in connection with property leases there were in  (a) Essex and  (b) Castle Point in each of the last five years.

Claire Ward: There is no specific offence of 'lease-related fraud'. If detected, a person committing such an activity is likely to be charged with a general fraud offencefor example, dishonestly making a false representation for gain under section 2 of the Fraud Act 2006 or, prior to commencement of the Fraud Act in January 2007, obtaining property by deception under section 15 of the Theft Act 1968.
	The number of defendants found guilty of offences under section 2 of the Fraud Act 2006 and section 15 of the Theft Act 1968 in Essex police force area, for the years 2003 to 2007, is shown in the table. Information held by the Ministry of Justice Court Proceedings Database for the number of convictions for fraud offences cannot be broken down to constituency level. Nor is it possible to identify how many of those convicted of fraud were guilty of offences specifically relating to property leases.
	These data are provided on a principal offence basis. This means that where a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences, the offence selected is the one for which the heaviest penalty was imposed. Where the same sentence is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe.
	Court proceedings data for 2008 will be available in the autumn of 2009.
	
		
			  N umber of defendants found guilty at all courts for offences of obtaining property by deception( 1)  or fraud by false representation( 2) , in Essex police force area, 2003 - 07( 3,4) 
			   Found guilty 
			 2003 156 
			 2004 147 
			 2005 127 
			 2006 134 
			 2007 156 
			 (1) Includes the following statutes: Theft Act 1968 Sec 15. Fraud Act 2006 (repealed eight sections including S15 of the Theft Act 1968 and was implemented in January 2007). (2) Fraud Act 2006 S.1(2a)(3)(4), and 2. (3) These data are on the principal offence basis. (4) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts, and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.  Source: OCJREA: Office for Criminal Justice ReformEvidence and Analysis Unit

Further Offence Inquiries

Dominic Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many serious further offence inquiries were conducted in each year since 2001; and how many of those involved a person previously convicted of homicide.

Jack Straw: The number of serious further offence reviews which were conducted in each year since 2001, together with the number of those involving a person under supervision for an index offence of homicide, is included in the following table. The table is based on cases that were recorded in the published annual Prison and Probation statistics and the Offender Management Caseload Statistics respectively.
	The changes in serious further offence review numbers since 2001 are largely attributable to overall changes in the size and nature of the workload of the Probation Service over this period (from 145,000 in 2004 to 179,000 in 2008), action to address known under-reporting of serious further offences and the revisions to the serious further offence review procedures which took place in 2006. These revisions increased the number of cases requiring review by extending the number of stipulated offences that qualified for review. Prior to 2006, the review procedures stipulated nine named offences which qualified for review; thereafter, there were 74.
	The data covers index offences of homicide only since 2006-07, as this is the data that NOMS holds on its electronic database, and obtaining further details would involve manual trawling of individual reviews which would incur delay and large cost.
	Of the 16 offenders in the table with an index offence for a homicide offence, two were subsequently charged with and convicted of a homicide offence. 2 offenders died shortly after the serious further offence and prior to any charge being brought.
	
		
			   Serious further offence reviews  Offenders with index offence-homicide 
			 2001 341  
			 2002 394  
			 2003 294  
			 2004-05 537  
			 2005-06 581  
			 2006-07 1,043 (1)7 
			 2007-08 1,252 (2)9 
			 (1) Four murders one manslaughter two deaths by dangerous driving (2) Five murders three manslaughters one death by dangerous driving  Note: Up until 2003, serious further offence statistics were compiled on a calendar year basis, and thereafter on a business year basis.

Legal Aid Scheme: Finance

Dominic Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what expenditure his Department incurred on  (a) the legal aid 60 years exhibition and  (b) other commemorative events associated with the 60th anniversary of legal aid.

Jack Straw: The aim of the 60th anniversary of legal aid exhibition and related media work is to improve people's awareness and knowledge of legal aid services. The Ministry of Justice supported the launch of the 60th anniversary of legal aid exhibition at a cost of just under 900. The LSC has spent just under 40,000 on producing the material for the exhibition (in English and Welsh) and paying for the host venues across the country throughout 2009, including costs for transportation and hosting media events. To date (8 July 2009) the LSC has spent just under 4,000 on supporting other commemorative events associated with the 60th anniversary of legal aid.

Legal Aid: Finance

Dominic Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what expenditure his Department incurred in legal aid payments in respect of family proceedings in each year since 1997.

Jack Straw: Gross payments in family proceedings is shown in the following table. Finalised figures for 2008-09 are not yet available.
	
		
			   Bills paid ( million) 
			 1996-97 392 
			 1997-98 389 
			 1998-99 423 
			 1999-2000 420 
			 2000-01 443 
			 2001-02 399 
			 2002-03 450 
			 2003-04 493 
			 2004-05 488 
			 2005-06 536 
			 2006-07 548 
			 2007-08 582

Roads: Accidents

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many criminal convictions have resulted from hit and run incidents in  (a) the North East,  (b) Tees Valley and  (c) Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland constituency in each year since 1997.

Claire Ward: The available information on the findings of guilt at all courts for the offence of 'failing to stop after an accident' in Cleveland Police Force Area, and the North East Region for the years 1997 to 2007 is shown in the table.
	Data for 2008 will be available in the autumn of 2009.
	
		
			  Findings of guilt at all courts for the offence of 'failing to stop after an accident'( 1,2,3)  in Cleveland police force area, and the North East region( 4) , 1997 to 2007( 5) 
			  Number of offences 
			   Total findings of guilt 
			   Cleveland  North East region( 4) 
			 1997 105 438 
			 1998 86 435 
			 1999 89 452 
			 2000 75 428 
			 2001 71 467 
			 2002 77 515 
			 2003 132 617 
			 2004 76 486 
			 2005 79 473 
			 2006 81 495 
			 2007 91 518 
			 (1) Not all hit and run incidents are pursued through the courtsminor ones in particular may not involve police attendance and may not be reported to the police by the injured party. (2) Hit and run usually refers to a collision in which someone was injured or killed. The offence of failure to stop is also committed if there has only been damage but such incidents cannot be distinguished from those involving, injury or death. (3) A person involved in a hit and run incident may be convicted of a more serious offence such as dangerous driving. (4) North East region includes figures for Cleveland police force area. (5) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.  Source: OCJR EA (Office for Criminal Justice Reform, Evidence and Analysis Unit), Ministry of Justice

Service Personnel and Veterans Agency's Prison In-Reach

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many prisoners who were formerly members of the armed forces have been identified by the Service Personnel and Veterans Agency's Prison In-Reach programme in each  (a) nation and  (b) region in which they have been held in each year since the programme's inception.

Kevan Jones: I have been asked to reply.
	The Veterans Prison-In-Reach initiative aims to raise awareness among ex-service offenders and their families about the help and assistance that is available to them. The Ministry of Justice and the MOD are working together with the ex-service charities, including The Royal British Legion, SSAFA-Forces Help and Combat Stress, to publicise the initiative and to target better those who need assistance. I will arrange for copies of our new leaflet and poster publicising the Veterans Prison-In-Reach initiative to be placed in the Library of the House.
	The Service Personnel and Veterans Agency (SPVA) Welfare Service has the capability to respond to referrals as part of their normal business. Consequently, no specific funding has been provided under this initiative.
	On contacting the SPVA, prison authorities (welfare) and ex-service offenders are referred to the Veterans Welfare Service which has the capability to offer help and advice to them and to their families. The ex-service charities also provide support including financial assistance, help with rent as well as clothing, training, relocation, employment and welfare visits to veterans and to their families.
	Statistics on the number of offenders who are ex-service, the number who contact the SPVA, and the prison establishments they come from are not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. We are working closely with the Ministry of Justice to produce up-to-date and authoritative data on the number of our veterans in prison.

Sexual Offences: Compensation

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many awards have been made by the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority in relation to serious sexual assaults committed on patients while in the care of the NHS in the last five years.

Claire Ward: In assessing criminal injuries compensation applications, the main information the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (the Authority) requires (in addition to an applicant's personal details) are incident reports from the police to determine whether a crime of violence has taken place; and reports from medical authorities to determine the nature and extent of an applicant's injuries. The Authority does not need details on whether an applicant was in the care of the NHS at the time of the assault, and therefore does not record that information.

3 Squadron

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the annual operating costs for 3 Squadron based at RAF Coningsby are.

Bill Rammell: The annual operating costs for 3 Squadron for FY 2008-09 were 15 million excluding cost of capital charges.

Afghanistan: Peacekeeping Operations

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many soldiers of  (a) the Welsh Guards and  (b) the Royal Welsh Regiment deployed in Afghanistan have been (i) killed, (ii) injured, (iii) seriously injured and (iv) very seriously injured in each month of the deployment; and if he will make a statement.

Bob Ainsworth: Between the commencement of operations in Afghanistan in 2001 and 8 July 2009, five members of the Welsh Guards and one member of the Royal Welsh Regiment have died while on deployment or as a result of injuries sustained on deployment, all were the result of hostile action. All six deaths happened in 2009, of which one occurred in each month from March to June and two in July.
	Since operations began in Afghanistan in 2001 and 15 June 2009, the latest date for which casualty information is available, 13 members of the Welsh Guards and 18 members of the Royal Welsh Regiment have been injured while on deployment in Afghanistan. These figures are provided in the following table:
	
		
			  Regiment  All  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006  2007  2008  2009 (as at 15 June) 
			 All 31 0 0 0 0 0 0 12 2 17 
			 Welsh Guards 13   1  12 
			 Royal Welsh Regiment 18   11 2 5 
		
	
	The figures represent UK operational casualties in Afghanistan from 7 October 2001 to 15 June 2009. The figures include injuries as a result of hostile action and non-battle injuries, and exclude all casualties from natural causes.
	The figures include all injury categories from the NOTICAS reporting system (Very Seriously Injured, Seriously Injured, Incapacitating Injury and Unlisted Condition).
	Information on the breakdown of very seriously and seriously injured casualties by month is not released to protect individual identities.
	Casualty statistics for UK Military and Civilian personnel in Afghanistan are routinely updated for each fortnight on the MOD website. The tables can be found at the following link:
	http://www.mod.uk/DefenceInternet/FactSheets/Operations Factsheets/OperationsInAfghanistanBritishCasualties.htm

Afghanistan: Peacekeeping Operations

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate he has made of the cost to his Department of its operations in Afghanistan in  (a) 2009-10 and  (b) 2010-11; and if he will make a statement.

Bob Ainsworth: The estimated cost of operations in Afghanistan for this financial year is 3.5 billion as recently published for the first time in MOD's main estimates. The cost of military operations is dependent on a number of variable factors which are difficult to predict, including changes to operational tempo and the actual conditions in theatre at the time. We do not, therefore, attempt to project costs for subsequent years.

Armed Forces: Death

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what targets his Department has set for the timetable against which inquests into the deaths of members of the armed forces killed in action should be completed; and if he will make a statement.

Bill Rammell: I refer the hon. Member to the answer my predecessor gave her on 12 January 2009,  Official Report, column 6, where he stated that it has been one of his priorities to eliminate unnecessary delay and I am pleased that we continue to make progress on this.
	The timing of individual inquests is a matter for the Coroner to decide, taking into account all relevant circumstances, including in particular the availability of the bereaved family and demands for other, non-military inquests. So it would be inappropriate for MOD to set targets. But we have been working closely with families and coroners to provide them with all the information they operations need so that inquests into the deaths of Service personnel who die on operations can be held as quickly as possible. Some such inquests are now being held as little as seven months after the death and others within eight to 10 months. Some inquests have to await the outcome of complex technical or other investigations and it is right that they do so. I remain committed to doing all we can to reduce the timeframe in which such inquests are held so that families can get the answers to their questions and be helped in coming to terms with their tragic loss.

Armed Forces: Minorities

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps his Department is taking to increase applications for service in the armed forces from minority groups.

Kevan Jones: The armed forces are committed to becoming more representative of the society they serve and invest considerable resources to this end.
	For details of our work to increase applications from ethnic minority groups, I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave him on 10 February 2009,  Official Report, column 1876W.
	The under representation of women in the armed forces is recognised and we continue to encourage women to join through recruitment campaigns which raise awareness of the benefits of a career in the armed forces. These campaigns concentrate on the opportunities for training and the acquisition of professional qualifications, and to dispel fears and myths about life in the services. The armed forces also offer a generous maternity scheme to provide supportive arrangements to enable servicewomen to accommodate pregnancy and maternity absence within their careers.
	The armed forces are exempt from the employment provisions of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995. However, we demonstrate our willingness to follow the spirit of disability legislation by recruiting people who may have some degree of impairment and by retaining a significant number of personnel who have become disabled in the course of their duties.
	The armed forces are equal opportunity employers and therefore are only interested in the individual's qualities and abilities not in such issues as their background, religion or sexual orientation which are considered private matters and not relevant to an individual's suitability for a career in the armed forces. We aim to provide a working environment where individuals can freely practise their religious observances or where individuals are free to be open about their orientation should they wish. Recruitment strategies encourage lesbian, gay and bisexual people to consider a career in the armed forces. For example, representatives from all three services took part in uniform in a parade as part of the London Pride event in July 2009.

Armoured Fighting Vehicles

Ann Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what  (a) type and  (b) level of mine resistance tests the Navistar Defence Husky vehicle tactical support has been subjected; and if he will publish the results.

Quentin Davies: Husky has successfully passed stringent mine blast protection tests. I cannot, however, comment on the specific types and levels of mine resistant tests, as disclosure could prejudice the security of the armed forces.

Gurkhas: Pensions

Oliver Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will bring forward proposals to provide pensions equal to those for UK soldiers for Gurkhas who retired from the armed forces prior to 1997.

Kevan Jones: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by the Minister for Armed Forces (Bill Rammell) on 7 July 2009,  Official Report, column 659W, to the hon. Member for Sheffield, Attercliffe (Mr. Betts)

Gurkhas: Pensions

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Heywood and Middleton of 19 June 2009,  Official Report, column 512W, on Gurkhas: pensions, what proportion of the 1.5 billion estimated cost to his Department he expects to be incurred in each of the next 20 years.

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 19 June 2009,  Official Report, column 512W, on Gurkhas: pensions, what methodology his Department used to calculate the figure of 1.5 billion; and what estimate he has made of how much of this expenditure would be incurred in each year over which such expenditure is planned.

Kevan Jones: I refer the hon. Members to the answer I gave on 8 July 2009,  Official Report, column 788W, to the hon. Member for Stroud (Mr. Drew). A breakdown of the estimated cost could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Met Office

James Arbuthnot: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether  (a) he and  (b) officials of his Department plan to meet private sector stakeholders as part of his Department's ongoing review of the Met Office.

Kevan Jones: The Operational Efficiency Programme (OEP) Met Office Review Group is compromised of officials from the Ministry of Defence, Shareholder Executive, HM Treasury and the Met Office and meets regularly in undertaking the review.
	This group is responsible for taking forward all aspects of the Met Office review as set out in the OEP Final Report published April 2009. In exploring all options and opportunities, this has included initial discussions regarding opportunities for engaging with private sector partners, although to date the group has not met with Private sector stakeholders. This aspect of the work is at an early stage, and more detailed work on this topic will be taking place over the coming months. A further update on progress of the review will be provided with the pre-Budget report.
	The Secretary of State for Defence has no current plans to meet private sector stakeholders as part of the OEP Review of the Met Office.

Met Office

James Arbuthnot: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence on what date he and officials of his Department will first meet the Operational Efficiency Programme project team to consider the future of the Met Office.

Kevan Jones: The Operational Efficiency Programme (OEP) Met Office Review Group is compromised of officials from the Ministry of Defence, Shareholder Executive, HM Treasury and the Met Office and meets regularly in undertaking the review. The group first met on 19 January 2009. The Secretary of State for Defence has no current plans to attend Review Group Meetings, but receives regular updates on the work of the Review Group.

Military Aircraft

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assumption has been made for planning purposes of the service entry date for the Joint Strike Fighter.

Bob Ainsworth: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him by my hon. Friend the Minister for Defence Equipment and Support (Quentin Davies) on 18 June 2009,  Official Report, column 465W.

Military Aircraft

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the  (a) required and  (b) actual number of pilots in the armed forces is for the MR2 aircraft.

Bill Rammell: As at 9 July 2009, the required and actual number of pilots in the armed forces for the Nimrod MR2 aircraft is provided in the table.
	
		
			  Aircraft typeNimrod MR2 
			   Number 
			 Required pilots 58 
			 Actual pilots 46 
		
	
	The reason for the variation is that there is a temporary increase in the number of pilots required, as the MR2 Force transitions to MRA4, and as personnel are retrained and transferred to the MRA4.

RAF Chilmark: Finance

Robert Key: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much expenditure in each cost category was incurred in respect of the former RAF Chilmark site in 2008-09.

Kevan Jones: Those elements of the former RAF Chilmark Site that have not been sold are managed by Defence Estates (DE)the Ministry of Defence organisation with responsibility for the defence estate.
	In financial year 2008-09, DE incurred the following costs:
	
		
			  Cost Category  Details  Cost incurred () 
			 Land Contamination Hydrogeological Site investigation 5,000 
			 Ecology/ Conservation Installation of a bat grille across a mine entrance 15,000 
			 Legal Fees For work relating to parts of site previously sold 415

Service Personnel and Veterans Agency: Prisoners

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  what funding his Department has allocated to the Service Personnel and Veterans Agency's Prison In-Reach programme in each year since the programme's inception;
	(2)  how many prisoners have  (a) participated in and  (b) been otherwise assessed by the Service Personnel and Veterans Agency's Prison In-Reach programme in each prison in each year since the programme's inception; and what the (a) name and (b) location is of each prison which has participated.

Kevan Jones: The Veterans Prison-In-Reach initiative aims to raise awareness among ex-service offenders and their families about the help and assistance that is available to them. The Ministry of Justice and the MOD are working together with the ex-service charities, including The Royal British Legion, SSAFA-Forces Help and Combat Stress, to publicise the initiative and to target better those who need assistance. I will arrange for copies of our new leaflet and poster publicising the Veterans Prison-In-Reach initiative to be placed in the Library of the House.
	The Service Personnel and Veterans Agency (SPVA) Welfare Service has the capability to respond to referrals as part of their normal business. Consequently, no specific funding has been provided under this initiative.
	On contacting the SPVA, prison authorities (welfare) and ex-service offenders are referred to the Veterans Welfare Service which has the capability to offer help and advice to them and to their families. The ex-service charities also provide support including financial assistance, help with rent as well as clothing, training, relocation, employment and welfare visits to veterans and to their families.
	Statistics on the number of offenders who are ex-service, the number who contact the SPVA, and the prison establishments they come from are not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. We are working closely with the Ministry of Justice to produce up-to-date and authoritative data on the number of our veterans in prison.

UK Health Departments Partnership Board: Meetings

Willie Rennie: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence on how many occasions his Department has been represented at a meeting of the UK Health Departments Partnership Board in each year since 2007; and which  (a) Ministers and  (b) officials in his Department have attended each such meeting.

Kevan Jones: The joint MOD/UK Health Departments Partnership Board meets three times a year. It is chaired alternately by senior officials from MOD and the Department of Health, and has a membership drawn from MOD, the UK Health Departments and the NHS. Government Ministers do not attend.
	The Partnership Board has met on eight occasions since January 2007.
	Attendees at individual meetings will include both standing board members as well as other departmental officials, who are invited on an individual basis for discussion of specific agenda items. The following table shows which individual posts have been present at each meeting, and includes both standing members and ad hoc attendees:
	
		
			   2007  2008  2009 
			   1 Feb  12 Jun  29 Oct  18 Feb  3 Jun  7 Oct  10 Feb  16 Jun 
			  Joint Chairs 
			 DMSDDCDS (Health) Present Present Present Present Present Present Present Present 
			 DHChief Executive Sheffield Teaching Hospitals Present  Present Present Present Present Present Present 
			  
			  MOD attendees 
			 DMSDSurgeon General Present Present Present Present Present
			 DMSDACDS (Health) Present  Present Present 
			 DMSDDirector Strategic ChangePresent 
			 Army Medical DirectorateChief of StaffPresent 
			 Army Primary Heath Care ServiceDirectorPresent 
			 Defence Dental ServicesChief of Staff  Present Present Present 
			 Defence Dental ServicesAD Clinical   Present  
			 RNAsst Chief of StaffMedicalPresent 
			 RAFChief of StaffHealthPresent 
			 DMETAChief Executive   Present Present Present  Present  
			 DMETADirector Change Programme Present Present   
			 DMSDAsst Director Information Management  Present Present  
			 DMSDAsst Director Nursing  Present   
			 DMSDAsst Director   Present  Present
			 DMSDAsst Director Armed Forces Pay   Present  
			 DMSDAsst Director Resource and Plans  Present   
			 DMSD Asst Director Secretariat Present Present Present Present Present   Present 
			 DMSDCross Government Lead (Health) Present Present Present Present Present Present Present Present 
			 DMSDDMICP   Present Present 
			 DMSDDirector General Healthcare Present Present  Present 
			 DMSDDirector Healthcare Present Present Present Present Present  Present  
			 DMSDDirector Medical Finance and Secretariat Present Present Present Present  Present  Present 
			 DMSD DMICP Project Director  Present Present Present 
			 DMSD-DMICPCfH Project Manager 
			 DMSDSecretariat 1Present 
			 DMSDSecretariat lb Present Present Present Present Present Present Present  
			 DMSDDCDS (Health)/MA Present  Present  
			 DMSDSurgeon General/MA Present
			 Land Command S01 Org Plan Present
			 National Employer Advisory BoardChairmanPresent   Present  
			 Reserve Forces and Cadets DivisionCapability Policy Present
			 Reserve Forces and Cadets DivisionDeputy Director Operations Present  Present Present  Present Present  
			 Service Personnel Command PaperRN  Present   
			 Service Personnel Command PaperTeam LeaderPresent Present
			 Service Personnel PolicyMedical Present Present   
			 SP Po-lService Community SupportAsst Director   Present  
			 Veterans Policy UnitDirector   Present Present Present Present  Present 
			 Joint Medical CommandCommander Defence Medical GroupPresent 
			  
			  UK Health Departments/NHS attendees 
			 DHAssistant Senior Partnership Co-ordinator Present Present   
			 DHAssociate Chief Medical Officer   Present Present   Present  
			 DHCross Government Lead (Health)   Present Present Present Present Present Present 
			 DHDeputy Director of Provider Development  Present   
			 DHDirector of Non-Medical Education, Pay and Pensions   Present  
			 DHDirector General Policy and Strategy Directorate   Present Present 
			 DHHead Emergency Preparedness   Present Present 
			 DHHead of Darzi Review   Present  
			 DHDarzi Review Team Present
			 DHHead of Primary Dental Services   Present  
			 DHHead of Social Care (representative) Present
			 DHHead of Social Care Policy and InnovationPresent 
			 DHLiaison Home Counties (Connecting for Health) Present Present Present  
			 DHStakeholder and Partner RelationshipsPresent Present   Present 
			 DHSenior Advisor on Mental Health Foundation Trust Policy and Implementation  Present   
			 DHSenior Information Officer  Present   
			 DHSenior Partnership Co-ordinator Present Present Present Present Present Present Present Present 
			 DHSenior Policy Adviser, Mental Health Programme Present Present   
			 Frimley Park NHS Hospital TrustChief Executive Present Present Present   Present Present  
			 Frimley Park NHS TrustDeputy Chief Executive Present  Present  
			 Hull Teaching PCTChief Executive Present Present Present Present Present  Present  
			 National Assembly for WalesChief Nursing Officer Present Present   
			 National Assembly for WalesCommunity, Primary Care and Health Services Policy Division Present
			 National Assembly for WalesDepartment of Health and Social Services  Present Present Present 
			 National Assembly for WalesPolicy Manager   Present Present 
			 NHS Connecting for Health   Present Present 
			 NHS Connecting for HealthGroup Programme Director   Present  
			 Northern Ireland AssemblyChief Medical Officer   Present  
			 Northern Ireland AssemblyDirector Primary CarePresent 
			 Regional Director of Public Health (South Central Strategic Health Authority) Present Present  - 
			 Regional Director of Public Health (South West) Present Present   
			 Scottish ExecutiveArmed Forces and Veterans Team Policy Adviser   Present  
			 Scottish ExecutiveDeputy Chief Medical Officer Present Present Present Present 
			 Scottish ExecutiveSenior Medical Officer Present Present Present  
			 Scottish ExecutiveArmed Forces and Veterans Team Leader  Present   
			 Surrey PCTCommissioning and Contract Lead   Present  
			 University College London HospitalDirector Human Resources  Present   Present  Present  
			 Wiltshire PCTDirector of Public Health  Present Present  
			 Wiltshire PCTPublic Health   Present  
			 Wiltshire PCTPublic Health   Present  
			  Key: DMSD = Defence Medical Services Department (now Surgeon General's Department) DMETA = Defence Medical Education and Training Agency (now Joint Medical Command) DMICP = Defence Medical Information Capability Programme PCT = Primary Care Trust

Atos

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the cost was of medical assessments carried out by Atos Health on behalf of her Department from 1 March 2008 to 28 February 2009.

Jonathan R Shaw: The Department for Work and Pensions re-awarded Atos Origin IT Services Ltd., trading as Atos Healthcare, a new contract to perform medical services on behalf of the Department from 1 September 2005.
	The total cost of these services from 1 March 2008 to February 2009 was 80,589,204. This figure not only covers the total number of examinations undertaken across all benefits, but also costs relating to written and verbal medical advice, fixed overheads, administrative costs, investment in new technology and other service improvements.
	The individual cost of medical assessments carried out by Atos Healthcare is commercially sensitive information. To disclose this information would prejudice the interest of Atos Healthcare and the Department's future dealings with Atos Healthcare or other service providers.

Children: Maintenance

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  on how many and what proportion of applications for maintenance the Child Support Agency and its successor made decisions on the award of maintenance within three months of receipt in each year since 1993;
	(2)  how many applications for child support made to the Child Support Agency resulted in no maintenance calculation being made because one of the parents could not be identified in each year since 1993.

Helen Goodman: holding answer 8 June 2009
	The Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission is responsible for the child maintenance system. I have therefore asked the Child Maintenance Commissioner to write to the hon. Member with the information requested.
	 Letter from Stephen Geraghty:
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Support Agency, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Child Maintenance Commissioner as the Child Support Agency is now the responsibility of the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission.
	; and
	You also asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many applications for child support made to the Child Support Agency resulted in no maintenance calculation being made because one of the parents could not be identified in each year since 1993.
	The Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission regularly publish information on the time taken to clear maintenance applications in Table 3 of the Child Support Agency Quarterly Summary of Statistics (QSS). The latest copy of which is available in the House of Commons library online and at:
	www.childmaintenance.org/publications/statistics.html
	The latest figures show that 82% of applications received in December 2008 were cleared within 12 weeks, compared to just 30% cleared in 12 weeks by March 2005, the year before the Operational Improvement Plan was introduced.
	However the additional information that you have requested is not regularly published and is therefore provided in the attached table. This shows the number and proportion of current scheme applications that were cleared in each financial year within 12 weeks of receipt. This information is only available for current scheme cases and so can not be reported prior to 2003, when the current scheme was introduced.
	It should be noted that since the beginning of the Operational Improvement Plan in 2006, the volume of uncleared new scheme applications has reduced from 220,600 to 49,200, a fall of 78%.
	The information you also requested on the number of applications made to the Child Support Agency that resulted in no maintenance calculation being made because one of the parents could not be identified, is not available as this information is not recorded for management information purposes.
	I hope you find this answer helpful.
	
		
			  Number of applications cleared each year within 12 weeks and as a percentage of claims received 
			   Number cleared within 12 weeks  Number cleared as a percentage of cases received in year 
			 2003-04 75,200 28 
			 2004-05 88,600 32 
			 2005-06 138,200 47 
			 2006-07 161,000 60 
			 2007-08 216,600 79 
			 2008-09 143,300 84 
			  Notes: 1. Only includes current scheme cases. Data not available prior to March 2003. 2. Cleared applications are those that have had a maintenance calculation carried out and a payment arrangement between the parent with care and non-resident parent put in place; a maintenance calculation carried out and nil liability established; a parent with care has been identified as claiming Good Cause or is subject to a Reduced Benefit Decision; the application is identified as being a change of circumstance on an existing case; or the application has been closed. 3. Figures have been rounded to the nearest 100. 4. Includes clerical cases. 5. Number of cases cleared within 12 weeks expressed as a percentage of applications received.

Children: Maintenance

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many children are receiving maintenance payments calculated by the Child Support Agency; and in how many such cases the non-resident parent is in arrears.

Helen Goodman: holding answer 15 June 2009
	The Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission is responsible for the child maintenance system. I have therefore asked the Child Maintenance Commissioner to write to the hon. Member with the information requested.
	 Letter from Stephen Geraghty:
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Support Agency, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Child Maintenance Commissioner as the Child Support Agency is now the responsibility of the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many children are receiving maintenance payments calculated by the Child Support Agency; and in how many such cases the non-resident parent is in arrears.
	It should be noted that the majority of child maintenance cases will have some arrears. In particular all new cases will accrue arrears unless the non-resident parent provides support while the liability is being assessed. The Agency estimates that around a quarter of all cases with arrears owe less than 170 which is less than two monthly maintenance payments.
	As at March 2009, 593,100 cases were receiving maintenance, from which 779,800 children benefited. Of these 593,100 cases, there are approximately 436,600 cases where the non-resident parent has arrears outstanding.
	I hope you find this answer helpful.

Children: Maintenance

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what account the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission takes of shared custody arrangements in determining levels of child maintenance.

Helen Goodman: The Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission is responsible for the child maintenance system. I have therefore asked the Child Maintenance Commissioner to write to the hon. Member with the information requested.
	 Letter from Stephen Geraghty :
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Child Maintenance Commissioner. The Child Support Agency is now the responsibility of the Child Maintenance Enforcement Commission.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what account the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission takes of shared custody arrangements in determining levels of child maintenance.
	Where an application for child maintenance is made, and care of the child or children subject to that application is shared between the parent with care and non-resident parent, the Child Support Agency may in some cases reduce the amount of child maintenance payable as a result.
	Different rules apply to the calculation of child maintenance liabilities, dependant on whether the application for maintenance was effective before the 3rd of March 2003 (such cases are referred to as the old scheme) or received on or after this date (and referred to as the current scheme).
	In the old scheme, the amount of maintenance that a non-resident parent should pay will be reduced if the child or children spends 104 nights or more (on average, throughout the year) in their care. In the current scheme, a non-resident parent's maintenance liability is reduced if the child or children spends an average of 52 nights or more in their care during the year.
	I hope you find this answer helpful.

Children: Maintenance

Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps the Child Support Agency is taking to recalculate child maintenance liabilities for non resident parents whose income is reduced through loss of overtime, short time working or working without pay; how quickly such recalculations are performed on average; and if she will make a statement.

Helen Goodman: holding answer 3 July 2009
	The Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission is responsible for the child maintenance system. I have therefore asked the Child Maintenance Commissioner to write to the hon. Member with the information requested.
	 Letter from Stephen Geraghty:
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Support Agency, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Child Maintenance Commissioner as the Child Support Agency is now the responsibility of the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps the Child Support Agency is taking to recalculate child maintenance liabilities for non resident parents whose income is reduced through loss of overtime short time working or working without pay; how quickly such recalculations are performed; and if she will make a statement.
	The Child Support Agency will reassess the maintenance liability from the point at which either parent informs the Agency that the non-resident parent's income has changed. Although the Agency may require further information such as wage slips to complete the reassessment, the date from which the reassessment takes effect will remain the date that the Agency was notified of the change. Information on the time taken to reassess individual cases from the date of notification including gathering the required evidence is not available.
	It should be noted that not all changes in income will result in a reassessment of the child maintenance due. In cases assessed under the current scheme the Agency may not change the amount of child maintenance if the non-resident parent's regular net weekly income changes by less than 5%. For cases assessed under the old scheme, the Agency may not make a change of less than 10 a week, or in cases where there is 'protected income' only where amount the non-resident parent would have to pay would increase by 5 a week or more, or reduce by 1 a week or more.
	I hope you find this answer helpful.

Council Tax Benefits

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the take-up rate of council tax benefit was in each local authority in the latest period for which figures are available.

Helen Goodman: Estimates of eligibility to council tax benefit are not available below the level of Great Britain.
	The latest estimates of the take-up rates and the number of those entitled to but not receiving council tax benefit are published in the report Income Related Benefits Estimates of Take-Up in 2007-08, copies of which are available in the Library.

Departmental Contracts

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 17 June 2009,  Official Report, column 355W, on department pay, to which employers her Department's contracts have been  (a) let and  (b) sub-let where the location of employment is not exclusive to London in the last five years; what the nature of the work undertaken on each such contract is; what information her Department holds on the grade and location of employment of those working on such contracts; what the duration of each such contract is; and what agreements on union recognition have been reached in relation to each such contract.

Jim Knight: The DWP currently has over 1,000 contracts with external suppliers for a wide range of goods and internal and external services. The Department does not hold this information centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate costs.

New Deal Schemes

David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the  (a) maximum and  (b) average payment of the New Deal Allowance was to people who had reached the test trading phase of the New Deal in the most recent period for which figures are available.

Jim Knight: Test-trading allows the customer to stay on benefits for a short period while they launch their business. This can last for a maximum of six months.
	The amount of new deal allowance paid to individual customers is equivalent to their previous benefit rate (usually jobseeker's allowance) plus a new deal premium of 15.38 a week.

Pensions

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the absolute value of the basic state pension for  (a) single pensioners and  (b) pensioner couples has been in each year since 1997-98.

Angela Eagle: The information is in the table.
	
		
			   
			   Weekly basic state pension for single pensioner  Weekly basic state pension for pensioner couple 
			 1997-98 62.45 99.80 
			 1998-99 64.70 103.40 
			 1999-2000 66.75 106.70 
			 2000-01 67.50 107.90 
			 2001-02 72.50 115.90 
			 2002-03 75.50 120.70 
			 2003-04 77.45 123.80 
			 2004-05 79.60 127.25 
			 2005-06 82.05 131.20 
			 2006-07 84.25 134.75 
			 2007-08 87.30 139.60 
			 2008-09 90.70 145.05 
			 2009-10 95.25 152.30 
			  Note:  There are no singles or couples rates as such, the basic state pension is an individual benefit. However, the maximum Category A rate is commonly referred to as the singles rate, and the combination of the maximum Category A rate for a husband and a maximum Category B rate set at (60 per cent. of maximum Category A) for his wife is commonly referred to as the couples rate.

Personal Accounts Scheme: Finance

Nigel Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what estimate she has made of the cost of establishing personal accounts schemes; and what proportion of such costs she expects to be recouped from scheme participants;
	(2)  how much grant-in-aid paid the Personal Accounts Delivery Authority has received from her Department in each financial year since its inception;
	(3)  what expenditure the Personal Accounts Delivery Authority has incurred in each financial year since its inception.

Angela Eagle: Revenues from membership charges are intended to cover the cost of personal accounts in the long run, including the cost of setting-up the scheme.
	All cost estimates are commercially sensitive until the Personal Accounts Delivery Authority has completed its procurement process. Publishing these estimates now could compromise the Authority's ability to get value for money.
	The following table shows how much funding the Authority has received from the Department and its expenditure in each financial year since its inception.
	
		
			   million 
			   2007-08  2008-09  2009-10( 1) 
			 Grant in aid fundingadvice to Government on their pension reform programme 3.300 18.485 0.464 
			 Loan fundingfor setting up the scheme  5.623 5.836 
			 PADA expenditure 1.996 30.958 5.504 
			 (1) As at end of May 2009.   Notes:  1. Expenditure figures include capital expenditure plus non-cash depreciation costs.  2. Grant in aid and loan figures represent cash paid to the Authority from the Department within each year.  3. Expenditure figures are recorded on an accruals basis i.e. include costs that have been incurred but not yet paid and non-cash costs such as depreciation. Therefore expenditure figures do not equal the grant in aid and loan figures.  4. Expenditure for 2008-09 exceeded the funding PADA received in that year. The difference was, in the main, funded by cash balances carried forward from the previous year and movements in working capital.  5. Figures for 2008-09 and 2009-10 represent pre-audited outturn and may change.

Social Security Benefits

Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions for what reason disability living allowance is disregarded for the purposes of calculating child maintenance; for what reason war pensions are assessed in calculating child maintenance; and if she will make a statement.

Helen Goodman: holding answer 3 July 2009
	Child maintenance is based on the financial circumstances of parents. State benefits which vary in accordance with a person's financial circumstances (such as war pensions) form part of their overall income and as such are therefore taken into account when the maintenance liability is calculated. However, the level of income required to qualify for a war pension is such that the maximum the vast majority of non-resident parents who are on a war pension would have to pay is 5. That is the case for all of those on the current child maintenance scheme.
	Disability living allowance is a standard payment which, beside the qualifying criteria, i.e. the nature of the disability, takes no account of a person's financial circumstances; it is only the nature of the disability that is a factor and it is specifically designed to enable someone to cope with the extra expense that disability imposes on them. It would not therefore be appropriate to include such payments within the child maintenance calculation.

Social Security Benefits: Fraud

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many  (a) court cases and  (b) convictions there have been for benefit fraud in each of the last five years.

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people have been  (a) interviewed on suspicion,  (b) charged with and  (c) convicted of benefit fraud offences in each of the last five years.

Helen Goodman: Information relating to how many people have been  (a) interviewed on suspicion and  (b) charged with benefit fraud offences is not available.
	The available information on the number of people interviewed under caution (for DWP administered benefits) and the number of people that DWP has presented to court for prosecution for benefit fraud offences is detailed in the following tables. Information on local authority prosecutions and convictions is not yet available for 2008-09.
	
		
			  DWP administered benefits 
			   Number of interviews held under caution  Number prosecuted for benefit fraud  Number of convictions for benefit fraud offences 
			 2004-05  10,295 9,219 
			 2005-06  10,262 8,740 
			 2006-07  8,964 6,861 
			 2007-08  10,274 7,745 
			 2008-09 44,105 8,840 6,700 
			  Notes: 1. 2008-09 is the first year in which interview under caution data have been collected. 2. The figure provided on the number of interviews held under caution may include the same person more than once. This is because the same person may have been interviewed under caution more than once.  Sources: 1. Interviews under caution data are taken from Fraud Referral and Intervention Management System (FRAIMS). 2. Prosecution and Conviction data for England and Wales are provided by DWP/DH Legal Group. 3. Prosecution and Conviction data for Scotland are taken from Fraud Information by Sector (FIBS) and FRAIMS. 
		
	
	
		
			  Local authority administered benefits 
			   Number prosecuted for benefit fraud  Number of convictions for benefit fraud offences 
			 2003-04 4,601 3,747 
			 2004-05 5,544 4,688 
			 2005-06 7,717 6,234 
			 2006-07 6,023 5,860 
			 2007-08 6,611 6,493 
			  Notes: 1. The decision to prosecute is taken by the appropriate local authority 2. Figures from HOBOD are subject to revision when new or revised data are received from local authorities and uploaded by the Department. 3. Data on the number of interviews held under caution have not been included in this table because 2008-09 is the first year in which interview under caution data have been collected and information on local authority prosecutions and convictions is not yet available for 2008-09.  Source: Housing Benefits Operational Database (HOBOD) using local authority housing benefit administrative returns.

Social Security Benefits: Overseas Residence

Stephen Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate she has made of the amount wrongly paid in benefits to UK nationals resident abroad in the last 12 months.

Helen Goodman: Between October 2007 and September 2008 an estimated 45 million was wrongly paid to customers who continued to claim benefits to which they were not entitled while they were abroad.
	In order to qualify for DWP means tested benefits, the customer must be habitually resident in the UK. The benefit rules, for some benefits, allow customers to travel abroad for a certain period of time without it affecting their benefit entitlement. The estimates used in this PQ relate to customers that have exceeded this period of time abroad.
	We do not capture customer nationality as part of the claims process and are therefore unable to provide specific figures for UK nationals.

Social Security Benefits: Overseas Residence

Stephen Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what estimate she has made of the amount of benefits wrongly claimed by UK nationals resident abroad in each of the last five years.
	(2)  how much was reclaimed from UK nationals resident abroad for benefits wrongly claimed in each of the last five years;
	(3)  what the administrative costs of reclaiming benefits wrongly claimed by UK nationals resident abroad were in each of the last five years.

Helen Goodman: We do not capture customer nationality as part of the claims process and are therefore unable to provide specific figures for UK nationals.
	The only available information on the amounts wrongly paid to customers who continued to claim benefits to which they were not entitled while they were abroad is provided for each of the last five years in the following table.
	
		
			   Amount wrongly paid ( million) 
			 April 2004 to March 2005 44 
			 April 2005 to March 2006 40 
			 April 2006 to March 2007 96 
			 April 2007 to March 2008 63 
			 October 2007 to September 2008 45 
			  Notes:  In order to qualify for DWP means tested benefits, the customer must be habitually resident in the UK. The benefit rules, for some benefits, allow customers to travel abroad for a certain period of time without it affecting their benefit entitlement. The estimates used in this PQ relate to customers that have exceeded this period of time abroad. The information about how much was reclaimed from UK nationals resident abroad for benefits wrongly claimed in each of the last five years and the administrative costs of reclaiming those benefits is not available.  Source:  National Statistics

Apprenticeships, Skills, Children and Learning Bill

John Penrose: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what the evidential basis was for the statement that, Costs to existing recognised Awarding Bodies are expected to be neutral, on average, in the Impact Assessment of the Apprenticeships, Skills, Children and Learning Bill relating to the creation of the awarding body regulator, Ofqual and the QCDA.

Iain Wright: The provisions in the Apprenticeships, Skills, Children and Learning Bill to create Ofqual have been widely welcomed by awarding bodies and others. The costs of the reforms will depend in large part on how awarding bodies respond to the new regulatory regime. The move to a more strategic approach to regulationso that Ofqual will not need to accredit every qualificationshould reduce awarding body costs. But Ofqual's market regulation role, with its strong powers to ensure value for money in the provision of qualifications, may increase the demands on awarding bodies; and awarding bodies may also have to develop relationships with the new Qualifications and Curriculum Development Agency, which will support the development of qualifications. Overall, our best assessment is therefore that the impact of the plans on existing awarding bodies will be cost-neutral.

Children's Play: Finance

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what funding his Department has provided for the enhancement of public play facilities in the London Borough of  (a) Redbridge and  (b) Waltham Forest in the last 12 months.

Dawn Primarolo: Following the commitments made in the Children's Plan in 2007 and the national Play strategy in 2008, every top tier local authority in England will receive either play pathfinder or playbuilder funding between 2008-11 through the play capital investment programme.
	On average all play pathfinder authorities will receive around 2 million capital funding and 500,000 revenue funding, while playbuilder authorities will receive around 1 million capital and 45,000 revenue funding. Play pathfinder authorities will use their allocated funding to deliver a minimum of 28 play areas plus a new staffed adventure playground, while playbuilder authorities will deliver a minimum of 22 play areas by 2011. The play areas that are delivered can be either completely new areas or existing areas which are significantly refurbished.
	Redbridge is one of 43 playbuilder authorities across England who began receiving play funding from April 2008, as part of the first wave of the play capital investment.

Schools: Capital Investment

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what capital funding has been allocated by his Department to schools in the City of York in each year since 2003.

Vernon Coaker: Capital funding allocated by the Department to the City of York for schools in each year since 2003 is set out in the following table:
	
		
			million 
			 2003-04 11.1 
			 2004-05 11.4 
			 2005-06 10.7 
			 2006-07 23.0 
			 2007-08 37.5 
			 2008-09 6.8 
			 2009-10 13.7 
		
	
	The allocations include 14.2 million for targeted capital funding in 2006-07, 28.5 million for a One School Pathfinder School in 2007-08, and 3.0 million for the new Primary School programme in 2009-10, together with an advance in 2009-10 of funding brought forward from 2010-11.

Schools: Manpower

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families if he will place in the Library a copy of the school workforce census form.

Vernon Coaker: The School Workforce Census is an electronic data collection from schools and local authorities. The Census is being piloted during 2009 and will go live in 2010. As it is an electronic data collection there is no form as such but a copy of the technical specification for the collection is publicly available on the Department's TeacherNet pages
	http://www.teachernet.gov.uk/management/ims/datacollections/swfcpilot/

Secondary Education: School Choice

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many and what percentage of parents in each local authority were offered  (a) their fourth preference,  (b) their fifth preference,  (c) their sixth preference and  (d) none of their preferences for secondary school in the last year for which data are available.

Diana Johnson: holding answer 5 March 2009
	The following table contains the information requested and is derived from data collected on National Offer day in March 2009.
	Where parents did not receive an offer on National Offer day, this is likely to be because the local authority is giving them a further opportunity to express preferences for schools with vacant places or because they did not require an alternative offer if a place was not available at their preferred school e.g. in authorities with mixed two and three-tier schools systems, parents of children at middle schools may apply for a secondary school place, but choose to remain at the middle school if a place is not available at their preferred secondary school.
	
		
			   Number  Percentage 
			  Local authority  Applications received from parents of children resident in the local authority area  Preferences offered by the local authority  Applicants receiving an offer for their fourth preference school  Applicants receiving an offer for their fifth preference school  Applicants receiving an offer for their sixth preference school  Applicants without an offer corresponding to any preference 
			  England 546,744  0.9 0.4 0.3 3.8 
			
			  North East 26,463  0.0 0.0 0.0 2.0 
			 Darlington 1,160 35.5 
			 Durham 5,299 31.9 
			 Gateshead 2,057 31.5 
			 Hartlepool 1,094 30.6 
			 Middlesbrough 1,669 32.5 
			 Newcastle upon Tyne 2,215 6 0.5 0.3 0.0 2.8 
			 North Tyneside 1,637 33.5 
			 Northumberland 2,992 30.3 
			 Redcar and Cleveland 1,570 31.5 
			 South Tyneside 1,632 34.8 
			 Stockton-on-Tees 2,086 30.2 
			 Sunderland 3,052 31.2 
			
			  North West 78,101  0.3 0.1 0.1 2.9 
			 Blackburn With Darwen 2,006 38.2 
			 Blackpool 1,471 30.6 
			 Bolton 3,403 33.8 
			 Bury 2,203 33.8 
			 Cheshire 7,615 32.9 
			 Cumbria 5,310 30.8 
			 Halton 1,514 33.1 
			 Knowsley 1,885 33.4 
			 Lancashire 12,540 31.9 
			 Liverpool 4,679 33.7 
			 Manchester 4,659 6 0.7 0.1 0.1 5.9 
			 Oldham 2,932 6 1.1 0.5 0.1 4.9 
			 Rochdale 2,643 4 0.3   1.3 
			 Salford 2,313 6 0.7 0.1 0.0 3.7 
			 Sefton 2,975 33.3 
			 St. Helens 1,967 30.9 
			 Stockport 3,375 32.7 
			 Tameside 2,590 34.4 
			 Trafford 2,593 6 3.4 1.6 1.2 5.6 
			 Warrington 2,364 6 0.1 0.0 0.0 1.5 
			 Wigan 3,445 30.9 
			 Wirral 3,619 5 0.5 0.0  1.2 
			
			  Yorks and the Humber 57,042  0.0 0.0 0.0 3.0 
			 Barnsley 2,545 30.3 
			 Bradford 6,524 35.5 
			 Calderdale 2,490 33.7 
			 Doncaster 3,363 30.5 
			 East Riding of Yorkshire 3,481 30.5 
			 Kingston upon Hull, City of 2,871 35.1 
			 Kirklees 4,419 35.2 
			 Leeds 7,643 33.4 
			 North East Lincolnshire 1,744 33.3 
			 North Lincolnshire 1,829 30.3 
			 North Yorkshire 6,096 5 0.4 0.1  3.6 
			 Rotherham 3,074 30.7 
			 Sheffield 5,713 33.8 
			 Wakefield 3,461 30.7 
			 York 1,789 5 0.2 0.0  1.6 
			
			  East Midlands 47,229  0.1 0.0 0.0 2.3 
			 Derby 2,671 4 1.2   3.7 
			 Derbyshire 8,555 32.0 
			 Leicester 3,432 33.2 
			 Leicestershire 5,803 31.4 
			 Lincolnshire 7,822 32.7 
			 Northamptonshire 7,607 32.7 
			 Nottingham 2,875 4 1.2   4.1 
			 Nottinghamshire 8,146 31.3 
			 Rutland 318 30.3 
			  West Midlands 60,333  1.6  0.5 3.4 
			 Birmingham 13,952 6 4.1 2.8 1.8 4.6 
			 Coventry 3,522 6 0.1 0.0 0.0 6.2 
			 Dudley 3,523 6 0.7 0.3 0.1 1.1 
			 Herefordshire 1,864 31.7 
			 Sandwell 3,731 6 2.1 1.2 1.0 4.7 
			 Shropshire 3,045 31.0 
			 Solihull 2,497 6 2.1 1.4 0.0 0.7 
			 Staffordshire 7,850 6 0.2 0.1 0.0 1.2 
			 Stoke-on-Trent 2,681 30.6 
			 Telford and Wrekin 2,052 4 0.4   2.0 
			 Walsall 3,324 5 2.1 0.8  5.1 
			 Warwickshire 5,831 6 1.4 0.2 0.1 4.5 
			 Wolverhampton 2,883 5 1.4 0.7  3.7 
			 Worcestershire 3,578 35.1 
			
			  East of England 59,135  0.5  0.0 3.6 
			 Bedfordshire 4,454 4 0.1   0.5 
			 Cambridgeshire 5,985 31.8 
			 Essex 15,764 4 1.5   3.3 
			 Hertfordshire 12,301 37.4 
			 Luton 2,486 33.7 
			 Norfolk 8,621 32.1 
			 Peterborough 2,163 35.4 
			 Southend-on-Sea 1,952 5 2.8 1.0  4.5 
			 Suffolk 3,491 32.9 
			 Thurrock 1,918 6 0.9 0.4 0.5 0.0 
			
			  London 78,206  3.3  1.2 6.8 
			  Inner London   
			 Camden 1,381 6 2.5 0.8 0.4 5.6 
			 City of London 23 6 4.3 0.0 0.0 8.7 
			 Hackney 2,238 6 3.8 1.9 1.0 11.0 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 1,129 6 4.2 1.9 1.2 10.6 
			 Haringey 2,449 6 3.3 2.0 0.8 7.2 
			 Islington 1,556 6 2.4 1.4 0.8 6.3 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 675 6 2.8 0.7 0.1 11.9 
			 Lambeth 2,440 6 4.6 2.8 6.5 4.0 
			 Lewisham 2,746 6 4.8 2.8 1.1 6.2 
			 Newham 3,679 6 1.3 0.5 0.3 4.5 
			 Southwark 2,473 6 5.4 3.1 1.5 8.3 
			 Tower Hamlets 2,653 6 2.0 0.7 0.1 7.5 
			 Wandsworth 1,843 6 4.8 2.5 0.9 6.6 
			 Westminster 1,127 6 2.9 1.0 0.4 8.4 
			  Outer London   
			 Barking and Dagenham 2,445 6 3.1 1.3 0.7 9.4 
			 Barnet 3,540 6 3.6 1.7 1.0 11.2 
			 Bexley 2,759 6 2.0 0.7 0.3 4.8 
			 Brent 2,887 6 3.1 1.8 1.0 5.9 
			 Bromley 3,311 6 3.7 1.8 1.4 5.2 
			 Croydon 3,979 6 4.5 2.4 1.2 10.9 
			 Ealing 3,353 6 2.9 1.4 1.1 7.2 
			 Enfield 3,785 6 4.7 2.9 1.2 6.4 
			 Greenwich 2,664 6 2.4 1.4 0.5 5.5 
			 Harrow 1,691 6 0.9 0.4 0.1 2.7 
			 Havering 2,762 6 2.0 0.6 3.5 0.0 
			 Hillingdon 3,158 6 2.8 1.6 1.0 4.9 
			 Hounslow 2,500 6 2.8 2.1 0.8 5.4 
			 Kingston upon Thames 1,556 6 4.5 2.0 1.4 5.3 
			 Merton 1,726 6 4.5 3.2 2.4 10.2 
			 Redbridge 3,294 6 4.1 2.7 2.6 8.6 
			 Richmond upon Thames 1,510 6 2.0 0.9 0.5 12.7 
			 Sutton 2,193 6 4.5 2.2 1.0 6.7 
			 Waltham Forest 2,681 6 1.6 0.9 0.6 3.6 
			
			  South East 88,579  0.8  0.1 4.5 
			 Bracknell Forest 1,284 311.6 
			 Brighton and Hove 2,304 33.2 
			 Buckinghamshire 5,954 6 4.5 1.4 0.8 7.4 
			 East Sussex 5,306 35.6 
			 Hampshire 13,973 31.8 
			 Isle of Wight 1,380 30.0 
			 Kent 16,277 4 1.5   4.7 
			 Medway 3,004 6 0.5 0.2 0.1 1.7 
			 Milton Keynes 2,853 32.5 
			 Oxfordshire 6,180 33.1 
			 Portsmouth 1,859 32.2 
			 Reading 1,511 35.2 
			 Slough 1,599 6 11.8 5.3 2.4 8.0 
			 Southampton 2,124 33.4 
			 Surrey 11,121 37.5 
			 West Berkshire 1,662 31.8 
			 West Sussex 7,257 6 0.0 0.0 0.0 4.5 
			 Windsor and Maidenhead 1,119 38.4 
			 Wokingham 1,812 34.1 
			
			  South West 51,656  0.0 0.0 0.0 3.5 
			 Bath and North East Somerset 1,690 34.3 
			 Bournemouth 1,461 34.1 
			 Bristol, City of 3,874 35.0 
			 Cornwall 5,595 30.6 
			 Devon 7,547 32.3 
			 Dorset 2,826 35.7 
			 Gloucestershire 6,536 4 0.0   5.3 
			 North Somerset 2,158 34.3 
			 Plymouth 2,677 32.2 
			 Poole 1,189 312.4 
			 Somerset 4,424 33.5 
			 South Gloucestershire 3,081 32.1 
			 Swindon 2,369 32.2 
			 Torbay 1,388 32.6 
			 Wiltshire 4,841 32.9

Teachers: Pay

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what the average full-time equivalent gross pay of teachers has been in schools in York in  (a) cash and  (b) real terms in each year since 1997.

Vernon Coaker: Information on the average salary of teacher is available only for full-time regular qualified teachers in service in local authority maintained schools. The following table provides this information for York local authority in both cash and real terms in each year, March 1997 to 2007, the latest year available.
	
		
			  Average salary of full-time regular qualified teachers in local authority maintained schools, York local authority, March 1997 to 2007 
			  Gross average salary ()( 1) 
			   Actual  Real terms( 2) 
			 1997 22,500 28,500 
			 1998 23,200 28,600 
			 1999 24,100 29,100 
			 2000 24,900 29,500 
			 2001 26,900 31,500 
			 2002 27,800 31,800 
			 2003 29,700 32,900 
			 2004 30,600 33,000 
			 2005 32,100 33,700 
			 2006(3) 33,100 34,100 
			 2007(3) 34,300 34,300 
			 (1) Gross salary of teachers of all grades including allowances.  (2) Adjusted using HM Treasury GDP deflator.  (3) Provisional.   Note:  Figures are rounded to the nearest 100.  Source: Database of Teacher records.

62 Eaton Place

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government at what sale price his Department's property at 62 Eaton Place was marketed; for how long it was marketed; and whether the property has now been sold.

Phil Woolas: I have been asked to reply.
	62 South Eaton Place was placed on the market in September 2008 at an indicated guide price of 4 million. The property remains for sale and viewings are continuing.

Coastal Areas: Economic Situation

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will make an assessment of the economic performance of seaside resorts in England.

Rosie Winterton: England's Seaside TownsA Benchmarking Study, published by the Department in November 2008 presents findings on the socio-economic performance of England's 37 principal seaside resorts (over 10,000 population) and compares the figures with regional and national averages. The report is available on line at:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/citiesandregions/englishseasidetowns
	The Department is about to commission a benchmarking study of smaller seaside towns (below 10,000 population) in England. This will complement the earlier benchmarking study and provide a range of data on socio-economic performance. It is being jointly funded with the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and the Commission for Rural Communities. The final report will be published in the autumn.

Housing: Low Incomes

Alistair Burt: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  how much funding has been  (a) allocated to and  (b) spent in the East of England under the My Choice HomeBuy scheme in 2009-10;
	(2)  how much funding was allocated to the East of England under the My Choice HomeBuy scheme in  (a) 2006-07,  (b) 2007-08 and  (c) 2008-09.

John Healey: I refer the hon. Member to the answer my right hon. Friend the Member for Derby South (Margaret Beckett) gave to the hon. Member for Welwyn Hatfield (Grant Shapps) on 21 May 2009,  Official Report, columns 1540-42W, regarding funding for the MyChoice HomeBuy scheme in 2008-09.
	In the first quarter of 2009-10 the Homes and Communities Agency spent approximately 7 million on the MyChoice HomeBuy scheme in the East of England.
	The MyChoice HomeBuy scheme was launched in April 2008 and therefore no data is available for the 2006-07 or 2007-08 financial years.

Non-Domestic Rates

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Bromley and Chislehurst of 18 June 2009,  Official Report, column 471W, on non-domestic rates, whether his Department takes account of rates of  (a) council tax and  (b) non-domestic rate collection in determining levels of future funding for (i) local authorities, (ii) police authorities and (iii) fire authorities.

Rosie Winterton: No collection rates, whether of business rates or council tax, are assumed for the purposes of allocating formula grant.

Planning Permission: Fees and Charges

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what fees are payable by businesses seeking to renew a planning application in respect of which planning permission has already been given; and if he will make a statement.

Ian Austin: Under current legislation there is not a separate fee to renew a planning permission, the fee payable would be the same as a new planning application.
	The Minister for Housing, the right hon. Member for Wentworth (John Healey) announced on 18 June 2009 the publication of a consultation document entitled 'Greater Flexibility for Planning Permissions' which includes proposals in respect of extensions to the time limits for existing planning permissions.
	The document is available at:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/planningandbuilding/flexibilitypermissions

Afghanistan: Prisoners

Evan Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs 
	(1)  what recent discussions he has had with the Afghan government on the custodial sentence imposed on journalist Sayed Pervez Kambaksh;
	(2)  whether his Department has requested that Afghan President Hamid Karzai grant a presidential pardon to journalist Sayed Pervez Kambaksh.

Ivan Lewis: We share the hon. Member's concern about the continuing imprisonment of journalism student Sayed Pervez Kambakhsh. We urge the Afghan state to honour the Afghan Constitution and comply with the international human rights standards, to which it is a party, including the right to a fair trial and freedom of expression.
	We opposed the death sentence imposed upon Mr. Kambakhsh at his initial trial in January 2008 after his imprisonment in October 2007. While it is positive that he no longer faces the death penalty, we are disappointed by the 20 year prison sentence he received on the 21 October 2008, a decision sadly upheld by the Afghan Supreme Court in early February. We have serious concerns about the fairness of his trials.
	In April 2009, as part of the EU, we asked President Karzai to carefully consider the legitimacy of Mr. Kambakhsh's trial. We continue to follow Mr. Kambakhsh's case closely and, in conjunction with our international partners, will continue to raise it with the relevant Afghan authorities, wherever appropriate.

BBC External Services: Meetings

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs on how many occasions he has met the Director of the BBC World Service in the last 12 months.

Chris Bryant: There have been no meetings between my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary and the director of the BBC World Service.
	There are however, regular meetings between the Minister responsible for the BBC World Service and its director. Most recently, Peter Horrocks met my right hon. Friend, the then Minister for Europe (Caroline Flint), on 7 May 2009.

Departmental Consultants

Adam Holloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs with reference to volume two of his Department's Annual Report and Resource Accounts 2008-09, page 39, for what reasons his Department's estimated expenditure on consultants has increased to 60 million in 2008-09.

Chris Bryant: The figures quoted in the annual report and resource accounts for 2008-09 included managed service provision.
	The Office of Government Commerce defines managed services as being
	the provision to management of objective advice and assistance relating to strategy, structure, management or operations of an organisation in pursuit of its purposes and objectives. Such assistance will be provided outside the 'business as usual' environment when in-house skills are not available and will be of no essential consequence and time-limited. Services may include the identification of options with recommendations and/or assistance with (but not delivery of) the implementation of solutions.
	The managed services included Hewlett-Packard Joint Service Delivery Team staff, Cap-Gemini staff working on Prism (the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) management tool), and Fujitsu staff working on FCONet (the FCO intranet).
	Consequently, the figures for actual expenditure in 2007-08 and estimated expenditure in 2008-09 are not comparable. We do not believe the actual cost on consultancy has increased.

Departmental Contracts

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 1 July 2009,  Official Report, column 284W, on departmental contracts, what the monetary value is of each contract entered into by his Department during financial year 2008-09 with  (a) Alchemist Partnership Limited,  (b) Avail Consulting,  (c) Building Services Group Ltd.,  (d) Cambridge Econometrics,  (e) Concerto Consulting,  (f) Coombs Consulting Ltd.,  (g) Corporate Value Associates,  (h) Haig Consulting Ltd.,  (i) Hanover Aviation Consulting Ltd.,  (j) Hay Group Management Limited,  (k) Intuity Consulting Ltd.,  (l) Jedi Systems Consulting Ltd.,  (m) KPMG LLP,  (n) Methods Consulting,  (o) Minimal Risk Consultancy Ltd.,  (p) Mott MacDonald,  (q) Ove Arup,  (r) Oxford Policy Management Ltd.,  (s) PA Consulting Group,  (t) Projected Consulting Ltd.,  (u) Purcon Ltd.,  (v) Ridge and Partners,  (w) RPS Health Safety,  (x) TPS Consult,  (y) Tribal Consulting,  (z) UCT Ltd. and  (aa) Venn Group Ltd.

Chris Bryant: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) only has a static database of all of its contracts in the UK and overseas which was compiled in the latter part of 2008. Work is currently being undertaken to convert this to a real time database. To gather all of the contract information for 2008-09 would involve disproportionate cost so the attached response reflects records kept by the two contracts teams in the FCO and FCO Services for 2008-09 which will cover a high proportion of the contracts awarded by the FCO in the UK during the period.
	
		
			Monetary Value ()  Comment 
			 Alchemist Partnership Limited Tristan da Cunha Sustainable Development Plan 53,200  
			 Avail Consulting Vetting Unit Programme 148,500.00  
			 Building Services Group Ltd Strategy and Business Consultancy Services share of 4,000,000 framework Framework awarded to four suppliers, total monetary value of 4m 
			  Dubai Gatehouse - engineering advice 41,425 Framework Consultant 
			 Cambridge Econometrics Consultancy Services: Impact of oil prices on global economic recovery 33,845  
			 Concerto Consulting Senior Facilities Management Advisor 174,000  
			 Coombs Consulting Ltd Management Services Internal Consultancy Support to FCOS ESG 70,000.00  
			 Corporate Value Associates Strategy and Business Consultancy Services See Avail above Framework awarded to four suppliers, total monetary value of 4m 
			 Haig Consulting Ltd Estates Related Project Management Services 511,000.00  
			 Hanover Aviation Consulting Ltd Framework Agreement for Air Brokerage Agent  DFID owned Framework. No FCO contract placed by FCO Contracts Team to date 
			 Hay Group Management Ltd Benchmarking for FCO Pay Grades in Asia-Pacific Region 17,000  
			 Intuity Consulting Ltd Consultancy Services for Programme and Project Mgt Services for PRISM Declassification 252,000 Annual Commitment 
			 Jedi Systems Consulting Ltd HMRC Support Contract 30,624.00  
			 KMG LLP Strategy and Business Consultancy Services See Avail above Framework awarded to four suppliers, total monetary value of 4m 
			 Methods Consulting Provision of Consultancy Services to FM Project 143,000  
			 Minimal Risk Consultancy Ltd Provision of Intelligence Staff in Afghanistan 387,935  
			 Mott MacDonald Basra: Hollyoaks - Additional Protection 142,082  
			 Ove Arup Kuala Lumpur - COW services 18,913 Framework Consultant 
			 Oxford Policy Management Ltd Provision of Economic Advice to Governments of up to five British OTs 51,000  
			 PA Consulting Group Strategy and Business Consultancy Services See Avail above Framework awarded to four suppliers, total monetary value of 4m 
			  Provision of Consultancy Services for Knowledge and Information Management Strategy 35,000.00  
			 Projected Consulting Ltd Projected Consulting Ltd 305,760.00 Configuration, Implementation and User Training for FCO Services Prism Software focusing on the Oracle Project Suites and modules and related applications 
			 Purcon Ltd PCMD Category Manager 47,838.00  
			 Ridge and Partners Podgorica New Embassy and Residence 90,000 Spend figure 
			 RPS Health Safety Madrid Asbestos Survey 7,000 Contract sum 
			 TPS Consult Khartoum Asbestos Survey 9,750 Contract sum 
			  Tbilisi - BREEAM assessment 11,462 Framework Consultant 
			  Staff Replacements 103,885 Framework Consultant 
			  Staff Replacements 131,684 Framework Consultant 
			  Mexico City - Facility review 6,095 Framework Consultant 
			  Stockholm -PerimeterWall 12,200 Framework Consultant 
			  Buenos Aries - Perimeter Wall 30,000 Framework Consultant 
			  Chongqing - Post Quake Survey 14,500 Framework Consultant 
			  Minsk - Structural Review 6,600 Framework Consultant 
			  Tripoli-Blast Survey 12,000 Framework Consultant 
			  Kuala Lumpur - Blast Survey 25,000 Framework Consultant 
			  Rangoon - Feasibility study 7,800 Framework Consultant 
			  Tripoli - M and E survey 10,997 Framework Consultant 
			  Stockholm - blast glazing survey 4,240 Framework Consultant 
			  Brussels - Structural Survey 6,500 Framework Consultant 
			  Damascus - Delapidation Report 6,000 Framework Consultant 
			  Dubai - Gatehouse structural advise 19,200 Framework Consultant 
			  Pristina - Due diligence report 45,995 Framework Consultant 
			  Minsk - Structural Review 6,000 Framework Consultant 
			  Mexico city - Blast advice 16,532 Framework Consultant 
			  San Jose - Earthquake Report 17,800 Framework Consultant 
			  Khartoum - Structural Advice 5,713 Framework Consultant 
			  Boston - BREEAM Assessment 12,230 Framework Consultant 
			  Basra - Ad-hoc advice 1,000 Framework Consultant 
			  Tripoli - Survey report 28,540 Framework Consultant 
			 Tribal Consulting Provision of Strategic Partner to assist in Producing IT Training Strategy 99,000  
			 UCT Ltd Pyramid Software Development and Support IS Services and Management Information Systems 400,000.00  
			 Venn Group Ltd Provision of Security Guarding Procurement Lead 125,000

Departmental Contracts

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the Answer of 1 July 2009,  Official Report, column 284W, on departmental contracts, what the monetary value is of each contract entered into by his Department during financial year 2008-09 with  (a) Alfaplan Gradenje,  (b) Asbestos Removals Logistics Ltd.,  (c) ATG Access Ltd.,  (d) Bymaro,  (e) Controlled Building Services Ltd.,  (f) Gilbert Ash Fit-Out,  (g) Gleeds (QS),  (h) Gleeds Building Surveying,  (i) GMW Architects,  (j) HOK International,  (k) Jordan + Bateman,  (l) Knight Frank,  (m) Mayfair Building Services,  (n) Orostream International Contracts Ltd.,  (o) Ove Arup,  (p) Ridge and Partners,  (q) Toffco SDN BHD,  (r) Windell Ltd. and  (s) Zeal Interiors.

Chris Bryant: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) only has a static database of all of its contracts in the UK and overseas which was compiled in the latter part of 2008. Work is currently being undertaken to convert this to a real time database. To gather all of the contract information for 2008-09 would involve disproportionate cost so the following response reflects records kept by the two contracts teams in the FCO and FCO Services for 2008-09 which will cover a high proportion of the contracts awarded by the FCO in the UK during the period.
	
		
			Monetary value ()  Comment 
			 Alfaplan Gradenje Dubrovnik Consulate Fit-Out works 53,202.37 Contract sum 
			 Asbestos Removals Logistics Ltd Singapore Asbestos Removal 76,614.00 Contract sum 
			 ATG Access Ltd Athens Perimeter Security Works 435,515 Contract sum 
			 Bymaro RabatFire and Flood reinstatement 1,205,102  
			 Controlled Building Services Ltd Addis Ababa Office Extension 370,479.00 Contract sum 
			 Gilbert Ash Fit-Out Ibiza re-model and Fit-Out (Stage 1) 25,928 Contract sum 
			  Prague Refurbishment of Offices 498,894 Contract sum 
			  Georgetown Office Modifications 447,568  
			 Gleeds (QS) (See various contracts for Gleeds listed under Gleeds Building Surveying following)   
			 Gleeds Building Surveying TehranTender analysis 4,707 Framework Consultants 
			  DubaiGatehouse OS Commission 14,547 Framework Consultants 
			  BasraOffice Fit-Out 63,000 Framework Consultants 
			  New DelhiStrategic Review of Compound 210,502 Framework Consultants 
			 GMW Architects TripoliNew Offices 40,250 Framework Consultants 
			  Jeddaharchitectural services 14,445 Framework Consultants 
			  TripoliArchitectural services 7,759 Framework Consultants 
			 HOK International Mexico CityMultidisciplinary services 73,376 Framework Consultants 
			  BostonArchitectural Duties 168,703 Framework Consultants 
			 Jordan + Bateman Portimao Consular Fit-Out 254,439.67 Consultant to Sherman Projectos e Servicos 
			  Architectural Design Services 34,560.00 Framework Consultants 
			  BakuNew Residence 557,506.00 Framework Consultants 
			  DubaiGatehouse architectural Commission 35,094.00 Framework Consultants 
			 Knight Frank Americas Property Evaluation 250,000 Contract sum 
			 Mayfair Building Services Caracas Safety and Rewire Works for Residential Properties 52,399.17 Contract sum 
			 Orostream International Contracts Ltd Kabul Internal Fit-out works 637,152.39 Contract sum 
			  Bogota 8(th) Floor Fit-Out 226,336.00 Contract sum 
			  Khartoum Replacement of Chillers 135,364.00 Contract sum 
			  Minsk Relocation of Classified Area 287,050.00 Contract sum 
			  Port Stanley Office Extension and Fire Precaution Works 188,010.35 Contract sum 
			  Podgorica New Embassy and Residence 778,000.00 Spend figure 
			 Ove Arup Kuala Lumpur COW services 18,913 Framework Consultant 
			  New DelhiStrategic Review of Compound 13,500 Framework Consultant 
			  CanberraSecurity works 84,116 Framework Consultant 
			 Ridge and Partners Podgorica New Embassy and Residence 90,000 Spend figure 
			  NW Europe Asbestos Surveys 77,785 Framework Consultant 
			  TripoliAsbestos Surveys 9,032 Framework Consultant 
			  RabatPM services 29,207 Framework Consultant 
			  BelgradeFeasibility Study 25,000 Framework Consultant 
			  Ottawa OfficeUpgrade 211,000 Framework Consultant 
			  KhartoumAsbestos surveys 11,977 Framework Consultant 
			  BasraOffice fit-out 14,622 Framework Consultant 
			  BelgradeFacade Repairs 22,752 Framework Consultant 
			  New DelhiAsbestos Review 9,960 Framework Consultant 
			 Toffco SDN BHD Kuala Lumpur Repairs to Residential Block and Staff Club 19,013.04 Contract sum 
			  Kuala Lumpur Car Park Waterproofing works 83,992.80 Contract sum 
			  Kuala Lumpur: Replacement of East Perimeter Wall 276,434.00 Contract sum 
			 Windell Ltd Singapore Blast Enhanced Glazing 570,466.00 Contract sum 
			 Zeal Interiors WellingtonOffice Refurbishment 215,163

Departmental Contracts

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the Answer of 1 July 2009,  Official Report, column 284W, on departmental contracts, what the monetary value is of each contract entered into by his Department during financial year 2008-09 with  (a) Bramble.cc Ltd.,  (b) Business Objects (UK) Limited,  (c) Computacenter,  (d) Data Capture Solutions and  (e) ODEC Ltd.

Chris Bryant: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) only has a static database of all of its contracts in the UK and overseas which was compiled in the latter part of 2008. Work is currently being undertaken to convert this to a real time database. To gather all of the contract information for 2008-09 would involve disproportionate cost so the following response reflects records kept by the two contracts teams in the FCO and FCO Services for 2008-09 which will cover a high proportion of the contracts awarded by the FCO in the UK during the period.
	
		
			Monetary value ()  Comment 
			 Bramble CC Ltd Provision of Consultancy Services of Taxonomy Specialists 44,750  
			 Business Objects (UK) Ltd 07/08 Financial Model and Statutory Accounting System Support 337,000  
			 Computacenter Provision of Contractors through OGC Catalyst Framework 988,044.39 Spend figure 
			 Data Capture solutions Scanning of Treaty Texts  Price per page subject to usage 
			 ODEC Ltd Provision of Analyst for Joint Narcotics Analysists Centre 117,250 Contract sum

Departmental Contracts

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 1 July 2009,  Official Report, column 284W, on departmental contracts, what the monetary value is of each contract entered into by his Department during financial year 2008-09 with  (a) Ambrose HR Ltd.,  (b) Capita Group plc,  (c) LA International,  (d) Morson Human Resources Ltd.,  (e) Morson International,  (f) Spire Business Support Ltd.,  (g) TMP (UK) Ltd. and  (h) Veredus.

Chris Bryant: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) only has a static database of all of its contracts in the UK and overseas which was compiled in the latter part of 2008. Work is currently being undertaken to convert this to a real time database. To gather all of the contract information for 2008-09 would involve disproportionate cost so the following table reflects records kept by the two contracts teams in the FCO and FCO Services for 2008-09 which will cover a high proportion of the contracts awarded by the FCO in the UK during the period.
	
		
			Monetary value ()  Comment 
			 Ambrose HR Ltd. Provision of consultancy services 37,484.00 Contract sum 
			 Capita Group plc Provision of contractors through OGC Catalist Framework 215,930.00 Spend figure 
			 LA International Provision of contractors through OGC Catalist Framework and FCO Services Framework 3,344,102.99 Spend figure 
			 Morson Human Resources Ltd See contract for Morson listed under Morson International below   
			 Morson International Provision of TWS staff 7,674,726 Contract sum 
			 Spire Business Support Ltd. Provision of consultancy services 121,000.00 Contract sum 
			 Veredus Provision of contractors through OGD Frameworks 694,188.38 Spend figure

Departmental Contracts

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 1 July 2009,  Official Report, column 284W, on departmental contracts, what contracts were entered into with  (a) Coffey International Development Ltd.,  (b) CP Recoveries,  (c) Crown Agents,  (d) Ebla Translations,  (e) DGSI,  (f) Disposal Services Authority,  (g) Field Fisher Waterhouse LLP,  (h) Fugro Middle East,  (i) GTZ,  (j) Heathrow Airport Limited,  (k) MCI UK Ltd.,  (l) RN Golds Associates,  (m) SMA Ltd.,  (n) Thales UK Ltd. and  (o) The Carbon Trust in 2008-09; and what the monetary value of each such contract was.

Chris Bryant: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) only has a static database of all of its contracts in the UK and overseas which was compiled in the latter part of 2008. Work is currently being undertaken to convert this to a real time database. To gather all of the contract information for 2008-09 would involve disproportionate cost so the following table reflects records kept by the two contracts teams in the FCO and FCO Services for 2008-09 which will cover a high proportion of the contracts awarded by the FCO in the UK during the period.
	
		
			Monetary value ()  Comment 
			 Coffey International Development Ltd. Civilian support to Ministry of Interior and Iraqi Police Service 4,049,475  
			  Fiscal policy assistance for Government of Maldives 46,510  
			 CP Recoveries Consultancy servicesconstruction project review and remediation 121,550.00 Contract sum 
			 Crown Agents Life support services in Afghanistan 1,189,090  
			  Provision of interpreter for BCG Basra 52,908  
			 Ebla Translations Translation for Arabic and Urdu websites  Price per 1,000 words translated -subject to usage 
			 DGSI Provision of IT software and hardware 1,194,797.16 Spend figure 
			 Disposal Services Authority Managed disposal service 5,000  
			 Field Fisher Waterhouse LLP Provision of legal advisers to major Telecommunications procurement 199,619  
			 Fugro Middle East DubaiSoil Investigations 7,509  
			 GTZ Drug education, detoxification and rehabilitation services to Afghan National Police 500,000  
			 Heathrow Airport Limited Service agreement in relation to royal suite at Heathrow airport 686,100 - 
			 MCI UK Ltd. Event management services for FCO Leadership Conference 2009 207,104  
			 RN Golds Associates Consultancy servicesservices and construction phase audit/QS services 33,510  
			 SMA Ltd Worldwide Lift Consultancy Term Commission 1,634,457.23 Contract sum 
			 Thales UK Ltd. Provision of and secure destruction of security goods 643,839.00 Spend figure 
			 The Carbon Trust Carbon Trust consultancies 110,000.00

Departmental Pay

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 20 May 2009,  Official Report, column 1420W, on departmental pay, who the employers are who are paying less than 7.45 an hour for work contracted out by his Department; what the nature of the work undertaken on each contract is; how many staff at each  (a) payband and  (b) location are working on each contract; what the duration of each contract is; and what union recognition agreements are in place with each contractor.

Chris Bryant: holding answer 9 July 2009
	Two contractors working within the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) pay some of their staff less than 7.45 per hour.
	These contractors are Interserve and Compass. Both companies share responsibility for delivering different facilities management services to the FCO, including cleaning, porterage, grounds maintenance and catering. Neither company operates a payband structure.
	In the case of Interserve, they employ 40 cleaners, and one porter based in London who are paid less than 7.45 per hour. They also employ 19 cleaners, three porters and one grounds maintenance operative based in our offices near Milton Keynes who are paid less than 7.45 per hour.
	Compass employ 17 catering staff in London and 12 catering staff in our offices near Milton Keynes who are paid less than 7.45 per hour.
	The contract the above companies deliver commenced on 1 December 2008 and is set to run for a minimum of seven years, with an option to extend for up to three further years.
	Both companies recognise all UK unions and actively consult with them on issues which affect their members.

Departmental Procurement

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what changes have been made to his Department's  (a) office equipment and  (b) stationery purchasing policy in the last six months.

Chris Bryant: In April 2009 the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) introduced a policy change for its stationery and office equipment requirements. This ensures that an approved core-list of non-branded products is purchased rather than more expensive brand-name alternatives. The policy change will save the FCO approximately 32,000 in the current financial year.

Embassies: EU Countries

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the cost to the public purse of the British Embassy in each other European Union member state was in each of the last 10 years.

Chris Bryant: The information requested by the hon. Member is set out in the table. The information includes some current EU member states which were not members 10 years ago.
	The apparent rise in costs in 2004-05 relate to a change in costing methodology. In 2006-07 the Foreign and Commonwealth Office reverted back to the previous methodology (and has continued to use this methodology since).
	
		
			  Net running costs for British embassies and high commissions in European Union countries 
			Net running costs in each year (all figures in GBP) 
			  Country  Embassy/high commission  1999-2000  2000-01  2001-02  2002-03  2003-04 
			 Austria Vienna 5,284,113 5,474,148 2,794,757 3,196,085 6,209,295 
			 Belgium Brussels 11,900,083  13,405,711 5,196,904 6,641,446 
			 Bulgaria Sofia 1,045,318 1,595,213 3,225,912  2,321,637 
			 Cyprus Nicosia 2,444,718 2,851,383 3,016,058  3,830,030 
			 Czech Republic Prague 2,277,065 2,815,881 2,719,503  3,440,671 
			 Denmark Copenhagen 2,855,888 3,286,808 3,558,954 4,300,612 4,507,265 
			 Estonia Tallinn 1,006,415 1,299,208 1,167,332 962,467 1,547,297 
			 Finland Helsinki 2,903,325 3,311,850 3,412,726 3,469,064 4,125,316 
			 France Paris 14,438,010 16,358,233 15,022,547 19,884,234 20,270,541 
			 Germany Berlin 10,078,569 12,055,033 12,976,590 14,214,571 12,641,292 
			 Greece Athens 3,787,077 4,741,176 5,190,764 6,622,480 7,488,108 
			 Hungary Budapest 3,908,898 4,183,592 3,796,268 4,501,150 4,941,115 
			 Ireland Dublin 2,941,175 3,298,197 3,671,490 4,964,419 4,748,141 
			 Italy Rome 8,818,516 9,693,033 7,888,783 10,747,995 10,166,167 
			 Latvia Riga 997,955 1,593,727 1,693,576 1,714,186 1,636,662 
			 Lithuania Vilnius 807,832 1,178,891 1,288,900 1,136,211 1,488,212 
			 Luxembourg Luxembourg 886,140 1,187,541 1,146,021 1,290,995 1,320,058 
			 Malta Valletta 973,582 1,552,250 1,779,689 1,960,630 2,348,864 
			 Netherlands The Hague 3,713,759 4,031,701 3,941,971 4,672,907 5,184,064 
			 Poland Warsaw 4,496,910 5,174,545 5,769,669 5,881,296 6,053,874 
			 Portugal Lisbon 3,022,647 3,590,121 3,455,653 4,029,547 4,991,692 
			 Romania Bucharest 1,756,600 2,476,491 2,423,329 2,842,576 2,592,479 
			 Slovakia Bratislava 806,180 1,220,522 1,546,586 1,539,024 1,773,036 
			 Slovenia Ljubljana 962,517 1,248,588 1,446,634 1,525,429 1,781,360 
			 Spain Madrid 7,273,486 7,474,979 7,396,430 9,099,869 10,773,854 
			 Sweden Stockholm 2,789,334 3,435,954 3,433,977 4,270,636 4,479,131 
		
	
	
		
			Net running costs in each year (all figures in GBP) 
			  Country  Embassy/high commission  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08  2008-09 
			 Austria Vienna 7,901,171 7,091,980 5,154,578 5,928,659 6,781,395 
			 Belgium Brussels 8,795,892  4,182,219 4,144,313 4,168,378 
			 Bulgaria Sofia 3,580,902 3,917,076 3,909,167 3,156,833 4,067,144 
			 Cyprus Nicosia 6,171,753 5,336,535 4,551,733 4,974,961 5,648,812 
			 Czech Republic Prague 5,465,549 4,542,341 4,064,547 3,547,572 4,425,612 
			 Denmark Copenhagen 6,521,838 5,743,562 5,916,598 4,073,563 4,774,473 
			 Estonia Tallinn 2,178,864 1,871,677 2,119,125 2,093,100 1,391,670 
			 Finland Helsinki 5,681,332 3,743,114 5,329,138 3,745,381 4,208,696 
			 France Paris 26,849,816 18,452,952 18,575,183 16,086,714 20,739,467 
			 Germany Berlin 38,957,543 15,132,205 16,826,684 15,675,405 16,911,590 
			 Greece Athens 12,960,926 6,780,887 6,403,547 6,056,019 6,846,402 
			 Hungary Budapest 7,067,258 5,600,271 4,969,077 4,289,562 4,733,193 
			 Ireland Dublin 4,889,385 2,787,857 4,245,726 3,717,417 -3,176,461 
			 Italy Rome 14,516,880 9,492,625 9,590,323 9,601,594 10,907,234 
			 Latvia Riga 2,493,770 1,774,631 1,941,832 1,580,106 1,626,962 
			 Lithuania Vilnius 2,823,759 1,815,066 1,778,462 1,711,964 1,996,889 
			 Luxembourg Luxembourg 2,446,748 1,617,676 1,522,575 1,519,722 1,394,414 
			 Malta Valletta 3,760,902 2,849,295 2,649,137 2,275,026 2,141,074 
			 Netherlands The Hague 8,521,455 5,756,783 6,465,067 3,765,454 5,165,812 
			 Poland Warsaw 11,019,212 7,566,280 6,900,570 6,218,564 7,751,832 
			 Portugal Lisbon 6,606,631 3,937,855 5,029,238 -1,612,899 4,584,174 
			 Romania Bucharest 2,778,120 5,024,590 5,062,753 4,996,143 4,681,311 
			 Slovakia Bratislava 2,834,615 2,016,006 2,461,017 2,030,605 1,947,497 
			 Slovenia Ljubljana 2,955,471 2,128,466 1,813,669 1,906,867 1,834,833 
			 Spain Madrid 14,900,850 9,854,579 8,102,549 7,471,356 -32,584,036 
			 Sweden Stockholm 6,515,561 3,917,020 3,876,941 4,032,765 4,232,479 
			  Notes: 1. Figures for all current European Union countries have been provided. However, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia, and Slovenia did not join the European Union until 1 May 2004, and Bulgaria and Romania did not join the European Union until 1 January 2007. 2. Figures for the embassy in Brussels for 2000-01 and 2005-06, and the Embassies in Nicosia, Prague, and Sofia for 2002-03 are not available and the IT system on which the figures were recorded is no longer in use.  3. The figures for the embassies in Lisbon for 2007-08, and in Dublin and Madrid for 2008-09 are negative due to net proceeds from sale of property.

Iran: Internet

Adam Holloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Aylesbury of 25 June 2009,  Official Report, column 1072W, on Iran: internet, whether his Department has received reports of the Iranian Government using technology or software provided by British companies to inspect, monitor or filter internet content.

Ivan Lewis: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office is not aware of any such reports.

Royal Visits

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the participation on official visits sponsored by his Department of  (a) the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall on visits to (i) South East Asia from 26 October to 5 November 2008 and (ii) Chile, Brazil and Equador from 7 to 18 March 2009 and  (b) the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester on a visit to Tonga from 27 July to 6 August 2008; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Bryant: The Asia Tour by The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall in October to November 2008 was highly effective in bolstering our relationships with important countries. The visit to Japan was the culmination of a year-long major UK-Japan festival marking the 150th anniversary of UK-Japan diplomatic relations. The environment and climate change were important themes, and a corporate leaders' group on climate change was established. In Brunei, the British garrison was a major feature along with initiatives to promote a low carbon, high growth, global economy. The key themes for the visit to Indonesia were climate change, environment and interfaith dialogue.
	Their Royal Highnesses Latin American tour in March 2009 was similarly effective. The visit to Chile encompassed environmental, social and defence issues; His Royal Highness participated in the launch of an energy efficiency programme for the young. The visit to Brazil centred on climate change and strengthened our growing relationship with this major regional player. It included constructive discussion on sustainable development in the Amazon. The visit to the Galapagos Islands of Ecuador marked the 200th anniversary of the birth of Charles Darwin and the 50th of the foundation of the Galapagos National Park, and was a special opportunity to highlight wildlife protection.
	Their Royal Highnesses The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester visited Tonga in 2008 to represent Her Majesty The Queen at the coronation of King George Tupou V. It was particularly important that a member of the British Royal Family was present to bolster support for King George Tupou V's voluntary surrender of constitutional powers in order to make Tonga a constitutional monarchy. The tour also incorporated an official visit to the Solomon Islands to celebrate its 30th anniversary of independence.

Western Sahara: Natural Resources

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent reports he has received on the legality of the practices of the Moroccan Government in extracting resources from Western Sahara; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Bryant: We have received no recent reports on the legality of the practices of the Moroccan Government in extracting resources from the Western Sahara. I am however aware of academic papers on this matter by the Former Legal Counsel of the UN.
	The Government maintain the position that the Government of Moroccoas the de facto administering power of Western Saharaare obliged under international law to ensure that economic activities under administration, including the extraction and exportation of phosphates, do not adversely affect the interests of the people of Western Sahara.

Civil Service: Manpower

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many full-time equivalent civil servants were employed in  (a) the City of York unitary authority and  (b) Yorkshire and the Humber by each Government department and executive agency in each year since 1996.

Angela Smith: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated July 2009:
	As National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question concerning how many full-time equivalent civil servants were employed in (a) the City of York unitary local authority and (b) Yorkshire and the Humber by each Government department and executive agency in each year since 1996. 285752
	In order to provide the information requested for York, ad hoc analysis has been required. This analysis is based on the Mandate collection (1997-2006) which provides approximately 90 per cent coverage of Civil Service departments and agencies and the Annual Civil Service Employment Survey (2007-2008) which provides 100 per cent coverage. For years prior to 2003 coverage is lower.
	The requested data for York are attached in Annex A.
	The number of full-time equivalent staff employed in Yorkshire and the Humber by government departments and executive agencies from 1996-2005 has been published by Cabinet Office and is available on-line:
	http://www.civilservice.gov.uk/about/who/statistics/archived-reports.aspx
	The number of full-time equivalent staff employed by government departments and their executive agencies for Yorkshire and the Humber, 2006-2008, is attached in Annex B.
	The information referred to as Annex A and Annex B has been placed in the Library.

Departmental Data Protection

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many  (a) attempts and  (b) successful attempts were made to gain unauthorised access to each (i) database and (ii) ICT system run by her Department in each of the last five years; and if she will make a statement.

Angela Smith: It is not in the interests of the UK's national security for departments to confirm information on the number of attempts, successful or otherwise, to gain unauthorised access to departmental systems or databases. Such disclosure could undermine the integrity and security of departmental systems and thereby expose them to potential threats.
	The Cabinet Office complies with the mandatory requirements of the Security Policy Framework in relation to information security including managing the risk of unauthorised access to ICT systems.

Accident and Emergency Departments: Hampshire

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people of each age group attended accident and emergency departments in each NHS trust area within the ceremonial county of Hampshire for treatment for injuries sustained in an attack by a dog in each of the last five years.

Mike O'Brien: Information is not available in the format requested. The following table shows the number of patients admitted to hospital through accident and emergency departments (A and Es) for hospital providers in the ceremonial county of Hampshire with a cause code of W54 (bitten or struck by dog). 2007-08 is the most recent financial year for which data are available. Information has therefore been provided for the five financial years to 2007-08.
	
		
			  Admission episodes where the patient was admitted via A and E with cause code W54 (bitten or struck by dog), by hospital providers in Hampshire and age group 
			   NHS trust  Under 10  10-18  Over 18  Total 
			 2003-04 Southampton University Hospitals NHS Trust 8 0 9 17 
			  Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust * * 16 27 
			  Winchester and Eastleigh Healthcare NHS Trust 0 * * * 
			  North Hampshire Hospitals NHS Trust * * * * 
			   
			 2004-05 Southampton University Hospitals NHS Trust * * 14 19 
			  Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust 14 6 13 33 
			  Winchester and Eastleigh Healthcare NHS Trust 0 0 * * 
			  North Hampshire Hospitals NHS Trust 0 0 * * 
			   
			 2005-06 Southampton University Hospitals NHS Trust * * 20 30 
			  Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust 9 8 19 36 
			  Winchester and Eastleigh Healthcare NHS Trust * 0 * * 
			  North Hampshire Hospitals NHS Trust * 0 * 7 
			   
			 2006-07 Southampton University Hospitals NHS Trust * * 18 29 
			  Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust * * 19 38 
			  Winchester and Eastleigh Healthcare NHS Trust 0 * * 8 
			  Basingstoke and North Hampshire NHS Foundation Trust 0 * * * 
			   
			 2007-08 Southampton University Hospitals NHS Trust * * 20 28 
			  Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust * * 21 38 
			  Winchester and Eastleigh Healthcare NHS Trust 0 0 * * 
			  Basingstoke and North Hampshire NHS Foundation Trust * 0 * 7 
			  Notes: 1. To protect patient confidentiality, figures between one and five have been suppressed and replaced with *. Where it was possible to identify numbers from the total due to a single suppressed number in a row or column, an additional number (the next smallest) has been suppressed. 2. HES figures are available from 1989-90 onwards. The quality and coverage of the data have improved over time. These improvements in information submitted by the national health service have been particularly marked in the earlier years and need to be borne in mind when analysing time series. Some of the increase in figures for later years (particularly 2006-07 onwards) may be due to the improvement in the coverage of independent sector activity. Changes in NHS practice also need to be borne in mind when analysing time series. For example, a number of procedures may now be undertaken in outpatient settings and may no longer be accounted for in the HES data. This may account for any reductions in activity over time. 3. HES are compiled from data sent by more than 300 NHS trusts and primary care trusts in England. Data are also received from a number of independent sector organisations for activity commissioned by the English NHS. The Information Centre for health and social care liaises closely with these organisations to encourage submission of complete and valid data and seeks to minimise inaccuracies and the effect of missing and invalid data via HES processes. While this brings about improvement over time, some shortcomings remain. 4. Figures have not been adjusted for shortfalls in data (i.e. the data are ungrossed). 5. A finished admission episode is the first period of in-patient care under one consultant within one health care provider. Finished admission episodes are counted against the year in which the admission episode finishes. Admissions do not represent the number of in-patients, as a person may have more than one admission within the year. 6. The cause code is a supplementary code that indicates the nature of any external cause of injury, poisoning or other adverse effects. The field within HES counts only the first external cause code which is coded within the episode. Cause code used: W54Bitten or struck by dog. 7. The admission method field within HES contains a code which identifies how the patient was admitted to hospital. Admission method codes used in this case were: 21 = Emergency: via AE services, including the casualty department of the provider 28 = Emergency: other means, including patients who arrive via the A and E department of another health care provider  Source: Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), the Information Centre for health and social care

Dental Services: Waiting Lists

David Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many people resident in Blaydon constituency were on a waiting list for orthodontic treatment in each of the last five years;
	(2)  how many people in  (a) Gateshead Borough and  (b) the North East were on a waiting list for orthodontic treatment in each of the last five years.

Ann Keen: The information is not available in the format requested. However, information on the waiting lists for orthodontic treatment in the Gateshead Primary Care Trust (PCT) area is shown in the following table:
	
		
			  Oral surgerytotal number of incomplete pathways 
			   Gateshead PCT  North East Strategic Health Authority  England 
			 August 2007 244 3,011 152,302 
			 April 2008 136 3,850 121,032 
			 April 2009 127 3,431 111,188 
			  Note: Data on incomplete pathways only published since August 2007  Source: Department of Health 18 weeks RTT data

Dental Services: Waiting Lists

David Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what the average waiting time for  (a) initial orthodontic assessment and  (b) subsequent orthodontic treatment was in Gateshead borough in each of the last five years;
	(2)  what the average waiting time for  (a) initial orthodontic assessment and  (b) subsequent orthodontic treatment was in Blaydon constituency in each of the last five years.

Ann Keen: The information is not available in the format requested. The following tables provide information on the median in-patient and out-patient waiting times for orthodontics and oral surgery within the Gateshead Primary Care Trust and the North East Strategic Health Authority areas.
	
		
			  Table 1: Median in-patient waiting time for elective admission (weeks). Time periods 2003-07 (commissioner based). Inpatient Commissioner Hospital Based Waiting List Statistics: SpecialtiesOral Surgery, Orthodontics 
			   Gateshead  North East 
			  Month ending  Oral surgery  Orthodontics  Oral surgery  Orthodontics 
			 March 2003 8.4 n/a 8.4 8.0 
			 March 2004 7.9 n/a 8.4 8.2 
			 March 2005 6.0 n/a 6.6 n/a 
			 March 2006 4.2 n/a 6.6 n/a 
			 March 2007 9.3 n/a 6.5 n/a 
			 September 2007 6.8 n/a 7.1 n/a 
			  Notes: 1. Figures are shown for organisations that existed at the time. 2. In-patient waiting times are measured from decision to admit by the consultant to admission to hospital. 3. The last time this data was collected was for period ending September 2007. 4. Where n/a, no orthodontic waiters were declared for the time periods specified. 5. Median waiting times are calculated from aggregate data, rattier than patient level data, and therefore are only estimates of the position on average waits. 6. In particular, specialties with low numbers waiting are prone to fluctuations in the median. This should be taken into account when interpreting the data.  Source: Department of Health Waiting List Collections QF01 and MMRCOM 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: Median out-patient waiting time for first out - patient appointment not seen (weeks). Time periods 2005-07 (commissioner based). Outpatient Commissioner Hospital Based Waiting List Statistics: SpecialitiesOral Surgery, Orthodontics 
			   Gateshead  North East 
			  Month ending  Oral surgery  Orthodontics  Oral surgery  Orthodontics 
			 March 2005 4.4 n/a 4.5 5.4 
			 March 2006 5.5 n/a 4.7 5.6 
			 March 2007 4.3 5.1 4.1 4.4 
			 September 2007 4.5 6.3 3.8 4.5 
			  Notes: 1. Figures are shown for organisations that existed at the time. 2. Out-patient waiting times are measured from referral by the general practitioner (GP) to first out-patient appointment to the consultant. 3. From 2004-05 all time bands for outpatients not seen were first collected so only average waiting first out-patient times can be made from this point in time. 4. The last time this data was collected was for period ending September 2007. 5. Where n/a, no orthodontic waiters were declared for the time periods specified or there were very low numbers declared. 6. Median waiting times are calculated from aggregate data, rather than patient level data, and therefore are only estimates of the position on average waits. In particular, specialties with low numbers waiting are prone to fluctuations in the median. This should be taken into account when interpreting the data.  Source: Department of Health Waiting List Collections QM08R and MMRCOM 
		
	
	From 1 January 2009, no one should wait more than 18 weeks from the time they are referred by their GP or dentist to start of their consultant-led treatment unless it is clinically appropriate to do so or they choose to wait longer. The 18 weeks commitment covers pathways that involve or might involve consultant-led care, including orthodontics, which is now recorded under the oral surgery speciality.
	Latest data show that since January 2009, the national health service has been delivering the operating standards for 18 weeks to ensure that no one should wait more than 18 weeks from the time they are referred to the start of their consultant-led treatment, unless it is clinically appropriate to do so or they choose to wait longer.

Dental Services: Waiting Lists

David Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people were on a waiting list for orthodontic treatment in England in each of the last five years.

Ann Keen: Information is not collected centrally on waiting times for national health service orthodontic treatment provided in primary care.
	From 1 January 2009, no one should wait more than 18 weeks from the time they are referred by their general practitioner or dentist to the start of their consultant-led treatment unless it is clinically appropriate to do so, or they choose to wait longer.
	The 18 weeks commitment covers pathways that involve or might involve consultant-led care. Referral to treatment (RTT) data collection monitors the length of time from referral through to treatment and is used to measure performance against the 18 weeks operational standard.
	Information is collected on the total number of incomplete RTT pathways, for oral surgery, which includes orthodontic treatment. This data looks at patients who have entered a RTT pathway but whose treatment had not yet started. Data is available from August 2007:
	
		
			  Total number of incomplete oral surgery RTT pathways, England 
			   Number 
			 August 2007 152,302 
			 April 2008 121,032 
			 April 2009 111,188 
			  Note: Data on incomplete pathways is only available from August 2007 onwards.

Hospital Beds

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Eddisbury of 1 June 2009,  Official Report, column 117-8W, on hospital beds, whether his Department collates data on the  (a) sex and  (b) age of occupants of hospital beds.

Mike O'Brien: The Department does not collate these data. However, the NHS Information Centre publishes Hospital Episode Statistics for admitted patient care which are available by age and gender. Summary data are published at:
	www.hesonline.org.uk/Ease/servlet/ContentServer? siteID=1937categoryID=193

Hospitals: Admissions

David Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many hospital admissions there were for  (a) chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and  (b) respiratory diseases in (i) England and (ii) each primary care trust area in the latest period for which figures are available.

Ann Keen: The hospital admission data for 2007-08 for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and all respiratory disease in England and each primary care trust is contained in a the table which has been placed in the Library.

Injuries: Dogs

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people aged  (a) under 10,  (b) between 10 and 18 and  (c) over 18 years of age were admitted to accident and emergency departments in each hospital trust under the external cause code of W54 as a result of an attack by a dog in each year since 2000.

Mike O'Brien: The information is not available in the format requested. Tables showing a count of the number (admission episodes) admitted to hospital via accident and emergency departments for hospital providers in England, with a cause code of W54 (bitten or struck by dog) have been placed in the Library. This information has been provided by the following age groups: under 10, between 10 and 18 and over 18, for each financial year from 2000-01 to 2007-08the most recent financial year available.

Prescription: Fees and Charges

Lembit �pik: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent progress his Department has made towards exempting from prescription charges people with long-term medical conditions; and if he will make a statement.

Mike O'Brien: I refer the hon. Member to the written answer I gave the hon. Member for Chorley (Mr. Hoyle) on 29 June 2009,  Official Report, column 92W.

Primary Care Trusts: Working Hours

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much has been allocated to each primary care trust in respect of compliance with the revised requirements of the European Working Time Directive; and what assessment he has made of the use to which such funds have been put.

Ann Keen: A total of 310 million has been made available to support implementation of the Directive. In 2009-10 the tariff uplift includes 150 million implementing the Directive, while strategic health authorities will be able to target 50 million to support change and expansion in paediatrics, obstetrics and anaesthetics and other trained doctor solutions.
	Strategic health authorities have made clear to primary care trusts and trust boards the availability of funding and the criteria for its use.
	The strategic health authorities will report on usage in due course.

York Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust: Expenditure

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what capital expenditure York Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has incurred in each year since 1996-97.

Mike O'Brien: The information is not available in the format requested.
	The following table shows data for 2001-02 to 2006-07, which are the only years for which information is available for the York Hospitals NHS Trust.
	
		
			   Charge against the capital resource limit (000) 
			 2006-07 (20,778) 
			 2005-06 13,187 
			 2004-05 14,916 
			 2003-04 11,238 
			 2002-03 843 
			 2001-02 (9,281) 
			  Notes: 1. York Hospitals NHS Trust achieved Foundation Trust status on 1 April 2007. The Department does not collect data from foundation trusts, therefore no data are available for 2007-08. 2. The term capital expenditure has been interpreted to mean the charge against the Capital Resource Limit for the year. This charge is calculated as follows: (a) Gross capital expenditure in accruals terms for the period (b) Less the net book value of assets disposed of (c) Plus any loss on disposal of donated assets (d) Less capital grants received (e) Less donations 3. The negative figures in 2006-07 and 2001-02 indicate that the trust has disposed of assets with a net book value greater than the amount spent on the purchase of fixed assets in each period. 4. For the available data since achieving foundation trust status, my hon. Friend may wish to contact the York Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust direct.  Source: Department of Health audited summarisation schedules.

York Hospitals NHS Trust: Manpower

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many full-time equivalent  (a) medical consultants,  (b) other medical staff,  (c) nurses,  (d) other professional staff,  (e) administrative and clerical staff and  (f) auxiliary staff were employed by York NHS Trust, excluding those transferred to Selby and York Primary Care Trust, in each year since 1996-97.

Ann Keen: The data is not available in the format requested. The following table shows national health service staff at the York Hospitals NHS Trust by main staff group as at 30 September each specified year.
	
		
			  Full-time equivalent 
			   1997  1998  1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006  2007  2008 
			 All Hospital and Community Health Services (HCHS) Medical and Dental Consultants 102 98 110 109 120 113 119 131 149 155 158 157 
			  Of which: 
			 Medical Consultant 97 93 103 104 115 108 114 125 144 150 152 152 
			  
			 All HCHS Other Medical and Dental staff 159 176 172 171 138 124 174 189 195 215 222 217 
			  Of which: 
			 Medical Other 153 166 161 160 131 119 166 180 184 206 212 208 
			  
			 All Non-Medical staff 3,399 3,230 3,234 3,451 2,967 2,605 2,817 2,927 2,958 3,149 3,067 3,232 
			  
			 Professionally qualified clinical staff 1,771 1,667 1,707 1,840 1,476 1,270 1,335 1,393 1,430 1,539 1,517 1,513 
			 Qualified nursing, midwifery and health visiting staff 1,362 1,235 1,268 1,375 1,132 915 948 990 1,023 1,111 1,071 1,030 
			 Qualified scientific, therapeutic and technical staff 409 431 438 465 344 355 387 402 407 428 446 483 
			 Qualified Allied Health Professions 228 246 245 257 154 169 187 195 194 206 214 231 
			 Qualified Healthcare Scientists n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 94 98 105 113 111 138 
			 Other Qualified Scientific, therapeutic and technical (STT) staff 181 186 193 208 189 186 106 109 109 109 121 114 
			  
			 Support to clinical staff 1,021 974 945 1,014 936 788 885 908 908 1,009 968 885 
			 Support to doctors and nursing staff 915 866 832 887 783 605 688 707 696 793 764 670 
			 Support to STT staff 105 108 113 128 153 183 197 201 212 217 203 215 
			  
			 NHS infrastructure support 602 583 576 591 554 548 597 626 621 600 583 834 
			 Central functions 166 155 190 208 171 183 196 215 202 184 246 307 
			 Hotel, property and estates 344 331 290 291 299 286 304 311 320 302 303 457 
			 Managers and senior managers 92 97 96 92 84 79 97 100 99 114 33 70 
			  
			 Other staff or those with unknown classification 6 6 7 6 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 n/a = Not applicable. Figures for Healthcare Scientists were not separately identifiable until 2003.  Notes: 1. Full-time equivalent figures are rounded to the nearest whole number.  Data Quality: 2. Workforce statistics are compiled from data sent by more than 300 NHS trusts and primary care trusts in England. The NHS Information Centre for health and social care liaises closely with these organisations to encourage submission of complete and valid data and seeks to minimise inaccuracies and the effect of missing and invalid data. Processing methods and procedures are continually being updated to improve data quality. Where this happens, any impact on figures already published will be assessed but unless this is significant at national level, they will not be changed. Where there is impact only at detailed or local level, this will be footnoted in relevant analyses.  Sources: The NHS Information Centre for health and social care Non-Medical Workforce Census. The NHS Information Centre for health and social care Medical and Dental Workforce Census.

Departmental Databases

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what categories of personal information about members of the public are contained on each relevant database managed by his Department and its agencies; on what date each such category of information began to be collected; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what categories of personal information on members of the public will be held on each database expected to become operational in the next five years which will be managed by his Department or one of its agencies; what estimate he has made of the likely number of individuals' details each such database will hold when fully operational; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  what databases which will be managed by his Department or one of its agencies and which will contain personal information are  (a) under construction and  (b) expected to be operational in each of the next five years; and if he will make a statement.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: I refer the hon. Member to the answer that I gave to her on 8 July 2009,  Official Report, column 877W. For those databases, managed by the Treasury and its agencies, containing personal information about members of the public, the following categories of data are held:
	 Financial Sanctions (all categories collected since October 2007):
	Personal identification information, contact information, information related to financial sanctions.
	 Gilts Register (all categories collected since December 2004)
	Personal identification information, contact information, information related to gilts registration.
	 DMO Job Applicants (all categories collected since 2004):
	Personal identification information, contact information.
	All data stored on Treasury databases are managed in accordance with the requirements of the Data Protection Act.
	There are currently no new databases managed by the Department, or its agencies, which will contain personal information of any kind, either under construction or expected to become operational over the next five years.
	Following the publication of the cross government data handling review in June 2008, any new projects or programmes that propose to hold significant amounts of personal data will be obliged to conduct privacy impact assessments.

Interest Rates

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will assess the effect of lower interest rates on  (a) the income and  (b) retail spending levels of those over 65 years of age whose income is largely dependent on their savings.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The Government recognise that historically low interest rates have particularly impacted on pensioners. Budget 2009 announced a package of support for pensioners who receive an income from savings.
	In order to help those pensioners who may have been affected by lower interest rates, the Government will be increasing the annual ISA investment limits for people aged 50 and over to 10,200, up to 5,100 of which can be held in cash, from October 2009.
	To provide additional support, the capital disregard in pension credit and pensioner-related housing and council tax benefit will increase in November 2009, meaning the first 10,000 of savings will not be included when calculating someone's entitlement for these income-related benefits. This is expected to increase the income of 540,000 low-income households by an average of 4 a week.
	The Government are also launching a new tax back campaign, through which pension credit recipients will be contacted to encourage them to claim back tax they may have overpaid on their savings income and, where possible, register to receive interest on their savings tax-free in future.
	The Government have also committed to maintain the standard interest rate used to calculate support for mortgage interest at 6.08 per cent. for a further six months until the end of December 2009, to provide continued support for home owners on pension credit who receive help with their mortgage.

Personal Income

Frank Field: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the net cost to the public purse of increasing personal allowances to provide a  (a) 2 and  (b) 3 rise in net income per week if the whole of the value of the increase in income were clawed back through national insurance contributions from those earning more than 18,000 per year.

Stephen Timms: 2 per week rise in net income would require an increase in the personal allowance of 520. 3 per week rise would require an increase of 780 The national insurance contributions (NICs) system in its present form has no facility that would allow the increase in net income to be clawed back from those who earn over 18,000 and pay primary Class 1 or Class 4 NICs.
	To do so would require each individual affected to have a different rate of NICs dependent on their income to ensure the income rises are exactly clawed back by the increase in NICs.

Public Expenditure

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on that Department's departmental expenditure limits for the next three years.

Liam Byrne: The Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and Treasury ministers have regular discussion on a range of issues in the conduct of their duties including the Departmental Expenditure Limits of the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA).
	DEFRA's Departmental Expenditure Limits for 2009-10 and 2010-11 were published on 19 June 2009 in Public Expenditure Statistical Analysis 2009.
	Departmental expenditure limits for all departments for the period after 2010-11 will be set at the next Spending Review.

Apprentices

Lorely Burt: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what guidance his Department has issued on the inclusion of apprenticeship opportunities in criteria for Government procurement contracts.

Kevin Brennan: The Government are committed to using the unique leverage of their 175 billion procurement programme to promote skills training and apprenticeship opportunities.
	In April the then Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills and the Office of Government Commerce published Promoting Skills through Public Procurement, a new guide to provide procurers across the public sector with practical advice on how skills training and apprenticeships can be promoted through public procurement processesboth when letting new contracts, and working with existing contractors on a voluntary basis.

Apprentices: Finance

David Willetts: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent discussions he has had with the Learning and Skills Council on funding the Council has allocated to training providers for the provision of new apprenticeship places in 2009-10.

Kevin Brennan: The Government have made clear to the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) that apprenticeships are a key route to building the national skills base. The Government are committed to significant growth in apprenticeships for young people and adults.
	The LSC has issued final allocations to providers for apprenticeships for the academic year 2009/10. Funding for apprenticeships has increased by almost a quarter between 2007-08 and 2009-10, to over 1 billion.
	Government funding will provide for over 250,000 new apprenticeship starts in the academic year 2009-10, including an additional 30,000 of the 35,000 new starts announced by the Government in January 2009.

Companies Act 2006

Bob Russell: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills 
	(1)  what progress his Department has made in its assessment of the merits of using provisions of the Companies Act 2006 to protect the use of the word college;
	(2)  if he will take steps to restrict the use of the word college to educational establishments providing education to recognised standards.

Ian Lucas: The new offence under the Companies Act 2006 of carrying on business under a name that gives so misleading an indication of the nature of the business's activities as to likely to cause harm to the public will come into force on 1 October 2009. As this will address the problem of bogus colleges, I do not intend to add college to the list of words for which the Secretary of State's prior approval is required for their inclusion in either a company's registered name or any person's business name.

Departmental Energy

Gregory Barker: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how much  (a) electricity and  (b) gas was used (i) on his Department's predecessors' estate and (ii) by his Department's predecessors' agencies in each year from 2004-05 to 2008-09.

Patrick McFadden: Electricity and gas consumption figures for BIS and its predecessors are as follows:
	
		
			  kWh 
			   Electricity  Gas 
			 2004-05 17,867,158 6,385,773 
			 2005-06 18,294,370 6,011,530 
			 2006-07 15,721,409 4,380,799 
			 2007-08 14,068,343 5,040,888 
			 2008-09 12,644,998 6,400,222 
		
	
	The figures shown for 2007-08 and 2008-09 include consumption by DIUS who occupied floors in a BIS managed building, Kingsgate House, in London. The figures do not include DIUS consumption in buildings managed by DCSF where DIUS also occupied space.
	I have approached the chief executives of the Insolvency Service, Companies House, National Weights and Measures Laboratory and UK Intellectual Property Office and they will respond directly to you.
	 Letter from Stephen Speed, dated 14 July 2009:
	The Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, has asked me to reply to you directly on behalf of The Insolvency Service in relation to how much (a) electricity and (b) gas was used (i) on his Department's predecessors' estate and (ii) by his Department's predecessors' agencies in each year from 2004-05 to 2008-09.
	The table shows the amount of electricity and gas consumption (in kilowatt hours) that has been directly billed to the Insolvency Service by utility providers.
	
		
			  Financial year  Electricity  Gas 
			 2004-05 2722806 610187 
			 2005-06 2777875 565826 
			 2006-07 2770868 389574 
			 2007-08 2892755 471518 
			 2008-09 2336081 659159 
		
	
	In about half of its offices, The Insolvency Service is billed indirectly via a building services charge and where this is the case we are unable to identify energy, consumption separately.
	 Letter from Gareth Jones, dated 14 July 2009:
	I am replying on behalf of Companies House to your Parliamentary Question tabled on 12 June 2009, UIN 280515, to the Minister of State for the Department for Business Innovation and Skills.
	The amounts of electricity and gas used by Companies House are as follows:
	
		
			  Year  Electricity (kwh)  Gas (kwh) 
			 2004-05 4,885,487 2,068,553 
			 2005-06 5,458,489 1,894,193 
			 2006-07 5,349,874 1,612,251 
			 2007-08 5,315,618 1,708,260 
			 2008-09 5,500,920 1,901,217 
		
	
	 Letter from Peter Mason, dated 25 June 2009:
	I am responding in respect of the National Measurement Office (formerly National Weights and Measures Laboratory) to your Parliamentary Question tabled on 12 June 2009 [reference 280515] to the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, asking how much (a) electricity and (b) gas was used (i) on his Department's predecessors' estate and (ii) by his Department's predecessors' agencies in each year from 2004-05 to 2008-09.
	The expenditure by the National Weights and Measures Laboratory on electricity and gas as recorded in the Agency's accounts over the relevant years was:
	
		
			   
			   2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08  2008-09 
			 Electricity 55,779.38 66,796.09 10,156.98 40,963.17 41,396.33 
			 Gas 17,551.23 26,730.70 23,993.23 23,579.51 29,409.96 
		
	
	 Letter from Ian Fletcher, dated 24 June 2009:
	I am responding on behalf of the Intellectual Property Office to your Parliamentary Question tabled 12 June 2009, to the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.
	In the last 4 years the following quantities of gas and electricity were used within the Intellectual Property Office; 05/06 through to 08/09 as follows:
	 20 05/06
	Gas: 4,451,422 kwH
	Electric: 2,952,075 kwH
	 2006/07
	Gas: 4,065,852 kwH
	Electric: 3,415,314 kwH
	 2007/08
	Gas: 3,982,293 kwH
	Electric: 3,404,358 kwH
	 2008/09
	Gas: 4,035,357 kwH
	Electric: 3,379,787 kwH
	Figures are for Concept House and NMP. Harmsworth House consumption was included in the service charge and not monitored separately.
	We are not able to provide figures for 04/05 within the specified time frame as these records are not kept electronically at present and paper records are held off site in storage.

Iron and Steel: Redundancy

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what training schemes will be provided for skilled steel workers who are made redundant to retain and develop their skills.

Kevin Brennan: The Government are committed to providing individuals and employers with the real help they need during the current economic downturn.
	In each region Government agencies, including the Regional Development Agencies and Learning and Skills Council, are working together with Jobcentre Plus to deliver its Rapid Response Service to help individuals affected by redundancy. The service provides help and advice on a range of issues, including job searches, training, and benefits, and can be delivered on employers' premises.
	Newly redundant employees or those under notice of redundancy can access a new 100 million package of support that will help 70,000 people to get flexible pre- employment training designed to meet their individual needs and help them get back to work quickly. The support typically lasts two to eight weeks, and there is no restriction on the type of provision.
	58 million will also be available over two years to increase information and advice services for people looking to re-train and find work.
	The Government have also created 75,000 additional work-focused training opportunities for people who have been unemployed for six months or more from any sector, to help them up-skill or re-skill and get back into work. This provision is tailored to the local job market, can be full-time supported by a training allowance, and will provide a significant uplift in skills.
	Through the Train to Gain service we are also actively engaging with employers in the steel industry to provide them and their employees with the skills support that will help them through the downturn.

Learning and Skills Council

David Laws: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will place in the Library a copy of the minutes of the meeting of the Learning and Skills Council on  (a) 4 March and  (b) 22 April 2009; and if he will make a statement.

Kevin Brennan: The acting chief executive of the Learning and Skills Council has recently undertaken a review of its National Council minutes and has decided that he will make public the full minutes from the National Council meetings, subject to the redaction of any confidential information that is exempt under the terms of the Freedom of Information Act. Copies of the full minutes from June 2008 to April 2009 have now been published on their website, and can be found at:
	www.lsc.gov.uk
	Minutes of future meetings will be placed on the LSC's website within seven days of being approved by the Council.

Learning and Skills Council

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent assessment he has made of progress in the transition from the Learning and Skills Council to the Skills Funding Agency and Young People Learning Agency.

Kevin Brennan: We continue to make good progress in planning for the changes, though any transition is subject to the passage of the Apprenticeships, Skills, Children and Learning Bill, currently progressing through Parliament.
	In respect of local authorities, we now have proposals for the operation of the 43 sub-regional groupings that will act as the main planning bodies for learning for those aged 16-18 across the country.
	Significant progress has also been made in developing the new structures for the Young People's Learning Agency and the Skills Funding Agency. The ambition is to establish shadow operations, without disrupting services to young people, employers and adult learners, from this September.
	We have appointed a chair of the new LSC Young People's Learning Agency committee and appointed a chief executive designate of the Young People's Learning Agency, though this is subject to the passage of the ASCL Bill. Recruitment for the post of chief executive of Skills Funding is also under way.
	LSC staff have been briefed on the new staffing structures (including numbers and roles) and locations for the new agencies and for each local authority, and processes to match LSC staff to the posts in the new structures have been communicated and are under way.
	We continue to work with key partners and stakeholder to ensure that our planning for the change is as comprehensive as possible. During June and July we are undertaking a series of regional events for partners and stakeholders affected by or involved in the changes to the pre and post 19 landscapes, to provide information on the changes and invite their views on how they would like to work with the new systems locally.

Skilled Workers

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills 
	(1)  what recent research his Department and its predecessor have evaluated on the effects of skill levels in the workforce on levels of national prosperity;
	(2)  what recent research his Department has evaluated on the potential effects of the numbers of people taking  (a) further and higher education courses and  (b) skills courses on levels of economic productivity.

Kevin Brennan: The Department is constantly monitoring research and analysis on the economic impact of education, skills and qualifications. This covers both work commissioned by the Department and by others.
	Generally, there is not much research that directly estimates the impact on overall levels of national prosperity of the numbers going through HE and FE, or of the numbers holding FE and HE-level qualifications. The Bank of England found that increasing skill levels accounted for a fifth of GDP growth over the 30 years from 1975-2002(1). Other research(2 )found that lower skill levels in the UK directly accounted for up to a fifth of the productivity gap with our competitors.
	In future we also hope to be able to match data from the National Employer Skills Survey, and the Train to Gain Evaluation, to data from the Annual Business Inquiry. This should help us to try and assess the direct impact of skills on firm level productivity.
	However, there is a lot of research that can inform this question in a more indirect wayin particular research which analyses the impact of holding qualifications on earnings, which is generally taken as a reasonable proxy for the impact on productivity of those individuals. Relevant reports published in the departmental research series(3) since 2000 are listed as follows.
	In addition, the Department co-funds the Centre for the Economics of Education (CEE). This research centre has also carried out a lot of research on the returns to the economy and individuals from education and training. Their publications can be found on their website at:
	http://cee.lse.ac.uk
	In brief, the research shows that individuals with higher qualification levels are more likely to be employed than those with lower qualification levels. Equally, individuals with higher qualifications are less likely to be unemployed.
	Once in work, people with higher qualifications also earn more on average than similar individuals with lower qualification levels. This is true for each successive level of qualification, and applies to both academic and vocational qualifications, plus apprenticeships. In general, higher qualifications carry higher earnings returns and academic qualifications deliver higher returns than their vocational counterparts.
	Research also shows that the earnings returns to qualifications have remained relatively constant over recent years. This would seem to suggest that the supply of skilled labour has been keeping pace with employer demand, and we are not saturating the market with skills and qualifications that are not in demand.
	The Department will continue to monitor the returns to education, skills and qualifications, both through commissioned research and through internal analysis of data. It is vital that we gain as full an understanding as possible of these returns. This will enable us to make sure that the qualifications we deliver in future provide economically valuable skills for individuals, employers and the economy as a whole, and help us to achieve the ambitions for a high-skilled workforce set out in the Leitch report on skills.
	DIUS Research Brief CEE-08-02 An Analysis of the Benefit of NVQ2 Qualifications Acquired at Age 26-34, De Coulon and Vignoles (2008)
	Ref: DCSF-CEE-02-07 Returns to Qualifications in England: Updating the Evidence Base on Level 2 and Level 3 Vocational Qualifications, Jenkins et al (2007)
	Ref: RB834Apprenticeships and Other Vocational Qualifications: A Cost-Benefit Analysis, McIntosh (2007)
	Ref: RR465Sectoral  Area Analysis of the Economic Effects of Qualifications and Basic Skills, Machin et al (2003)
	Ref: RB370Further Analysis of the Returns to Academic and Vocational Qualifications, McIntosh et al (2002)
	Ref: 2001074Literature Review on Rates of Return to Higher Education, London School of Economics (2002)
	Ref: 2002023Labour Market Returns to Graduates from Less Advantaged Backgrounds in the Context of Expansion: A Review of the Literature, London School of Economics (2002)
	Ref: 2002041The returns arising from learning undertaken as adults, Department for Education and Employment (2002)
	Ref: RB313Returns to Education: Evidence from the Labour Force Survey, Walker and Zhu (2001)
	Ref: RR254The Returns to Education: A Review of Evidence, Issues and Deficiencies in the Literature, Harmon and Walker (2001)
	Ref: RR192The Returns to Academic Vocational and Basic Skills in Britain. Dearden et al (2000)
	Ref: 28199Returns to Educationevidence using a sample of UK twins, Institute of Education (2000)
	Bell, Burriel-Llombart and Jones (2005) A quality-adjusted labour input series for the United Kingdom (1975-2002) Bank of England Working Paper 280.
	(2) O'Mahoney and de Boer (2002) Britain's relative productivity performance: Updates to 1999 NIESR.
	(3) This covers the predecessor Departments: DIUS, DFES and DFEE.

Skilled Workers

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what his most recent assessment is of the UK's optimal skills mix; and what steps his Department is taking to achieve that skills mix.

Kevin Brennan: Ambition 2020, published by UKCES, reiterates Government's long held view that raising skills levels improves the country's future prosperity. Working Futures, also published by UKCES, made it clear that if we are to emerge from the recession stronger, more adaptable and more competitive, our skills strategy must enable the UK to take advantage of opportunities in the key industries, technologies and services that will drive economic growth.
	Government are investing 5 billion in adult skills this year to continue to up-skill the nation. Government have also put in place measures to ensure we are up-skilling people with the right skills. For example, sector skills agreements provide a framework for sector skills council's to work with employers, key delivery agencies and Government to address priority skills in their sector.
	Government will now take a more proactive approach to ensure it delivers the right skills, in the right place, at the right time to ensure the UK can seize the opportunities of the new global economy. The new approach will include forecasting demand; taking action to manage supply to meet these demands; and thinking strategically about how we best support areas of the economy where we anticipate opportunities for high employment or high competitive advantage.
	We will publish a new Skills Strategy later this year, setting out how this will work in more detail.